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Sigh The Trolls have been with the internet from the start. I would say that actually they are mostly contained (why? because its really fucking difficult to be

Sigh The Trolls have been with the internet from the start. I would say that actually they are mostly contained (why? because its really fucking difficult to be anonymous. Plus you are more than likely to be prosecuted for whatever you've done) So whats changed? more people are on platforms like twitter, and seem to think that fake internet points are real. The vast majority of "trolling" is pretty low grade "die", "sexual slur", "lol rape", "exploitation of personal detail that you've shared" Thats not trolling, thats people just being arseholes. They are anonymous people, they have no impact on your life, ignore them. edit I should point out that yes swatting and doxxing still happens, and the impact is massive. but it is still rare. The advantage of a twitter profile is you can delete it, and start again. I wish I could have done that in real life. It would have helped me escape the daily torment of my bullies at high school.

JacksonGariety 10y ago
I'd say it has a pretty profound impact on your life: share personal information online, get 'trolled', and then watch that encounter become permanently associated with your name.
- KaiserPro 10y ago
  I could have explained it better, but what people call trolling, and actual trolling are two different things. Apparently posting a link in reply to someone is now "trolling"
accountface 10y ago
On the contrary... these trolls have SWATted, stalked, ddos'd, called, doxxed, and harassed normal people. They've spammed business, social media accounts, email... For some people the impact on their life is very real. I can't use my name publicly on the internet because of trolls. This impacts my life in a huge way.
- KaiserPro 10y ago
  Yes, I should have made that clear. you were trolled, and it is clearly devastating. What most people think of trolling is just someone shouting WANKER at the screen.
- problems 10y ago
  I hate this attitude of "blame everything on the trolls". You can't use your real name on the internet because using your real name on the internet is basically asking for trouble. You have to defend yourself in the same way you have to look at ads and read media critically and don't believe everything someone says on the phone or in the mail. It's really nothing new, it's just on the internet this time. Scamming and spectacle has always been a good play. People are simply not trustworthy, especially in large numbers, the internet just provides more exposure, so "don't be dumb" applies even more. Defending yourself is simply part of living in society.
  - CarolineW 10y ago
    You say: > People are simply not trustworthy, ... In my experience the vast majority of people are trustworthy. The problem is that the tiny minority of people who are not trustworthy are winning the internet because they have time, and shout loudly. More, some of them do obnoxious and potentially dangerous things. That's why people get upset - because it is a tiny minority that spoil the whole thing. If only we could stop that tiny minority ...
    - chrisdbaldwin 10y ago
      Sorry to burst your bubble, but citing your experience with people is equivalent to trolling. Your anecdotal evidence doesn't agree with what's been studied in Behavioral Economics. The problem is not that a tiny minority are untrustworthy; the problem is that a large majority lie (a little bit) often and by nature.
      - problems 10y ago
        I think this actually explains a lot of what's considered "trolling" when it comes to political topics. Many individuals stretching the truth for their side just a little bit adds up to a warped picture in total and gets blamed as if it's a goal.
rakoo 10y ago
> So whats changed? Eternal September ? As access got more and more widespread, the average savviness of new entrants lowered and they became more and more susceptible to the permanent trolling ? In turn, the new entrants have a bigger voice outside of the internet, and their parole is taken with more value than those who roamed it from the beginning, unmoved by the usual trolling ?
st3v3r 10y ago
I'm sorry, but this "ignore the trolls" meme has been proven wrong time and again these past few years. It's not a solution.
- watwut 10y ago
  Ignore trolls work when they are motivated by attention. It does not work when they hate your guts and seek to harm you however they can. That is like saying "just igore bullies" to bullied kid. It does not work.
- KaiserPro 10y ago
  I'm going to get specific here. I'm not talking about a bullying campaign that's branched out into the digital world, that is what I would class as actual trolling. I run a blog that talks about the specifics of labour law. A number of posts resonated with a profession that was going through a tough time. As time drew on, what was professional unity devolved into infighting along two lines: accept a new contract, or not and carry on industrial action. I advocated the new contract. It was the best offer(in my opinion), went from salary with a paycut and increased hours, to effectively an hourly rate with punitive overtime pay(for the employer) Now, This is where I supposedly got trolled. I was innundated with comments saying that I had "betrayed an entire profession", "I couldn't add up", "I'd never worked as X what the fuck did I know" In my posts I swear a lot. Instantly I went from an amusing post with some political points that "really hit the man" to "a dirty troll who's foul language betrays a profession" I just expressed an opinion. People engaged with me, and I them on twitter. When I didn't change my opinion, I was a troll. When I used high quality sources, I was a shill. Unless someone doxxes you, (either in public press, or 4chan) you can just turn it off. Twitter/facebook/email can all be erased. You do not have to respond. They want a response, to re-enforce their own opinion.
  - watwut 10y ago
    "Twitter/facebook/email can all be erased." That can mean professional or social isolation for quite a lot of people - or at least disadvantage. The moment your blog, github account, facebook account or twitters matters for employers, peers, business, conferences you would like talk at or negotiations is the moment when walking away affects you.

JacksonGariety 10y ago

I'd say it has a pretty profound impact on your life: share personal information online, get 'trolled', and then watch that encounter become permanently associated with your name.

KaiserPro 10y ago
I could have explained it better, but what people call trolling, and actual trolling are two different things. Apparently posting a link in reply to someone is now "trolling"

accountface 10y ago

On the contrary... these trolls have SWATted, stalked, ddos'd, called, doxxed, and harassed normal people. They've spammed business, social media accounts, email... For some people the impact on their life is very real. I can't use my name publicly on the internet because of trolls. This impacts my life in a huge way.

KaiserPro 10y ago
Yes, I should have made that clear. you were trolled, and it is clearly devastating. What most people think of trolling is just someone shouting WANKER at the screen.
problems 10y ago
I hate this attitude of "blame everything on the trolls". You can't use your real name on the internet because using your real name on the internet is basically asking for trouble. You have to defend yourself in the same way you have to look at ads and read media critically and don't believe everything someone says on the phone or in the mail. It's really nothing new, it's just on the internet this time. Scamming and spectacle has always been a good play. People are simply not trustworthy, especially in large numbers, the internet just provides more exposure, so "don't be dumb" applies even more. Defending yourself is simply part of living in society.
- CarolineW 10y ago
  You say: > People are simply not trustworthy, ... In my experience the vast majority of people are trustworthy. The problem is that the tiny minority of people who are not trustworthy are winning the internet because they have time, and shout loudly. More, some of them do obnoxious and potentially dangerous things. That's why people get upset - because it is a tiny minority that spoil the whole thing. If only we could stop that tiny minority ...
  - chrisdbaldwin 10y ago
    Sorry to burst your bubble, but citing your experience with people is equivalent to trolling. Your anecdotal evidence doesn't agree with what's been studied in Behavioral Economics. The problem is not that a tiny minority are untrustworthy; the problem is that a large majority lie (a little bit) often and by nature.
    - problems 10y ago
      I think this actually explains a lot of what's considered "trolling" when it comes to political topics. Many individuals stretching the truth for their side just a little bit adds up to a warped picture in total and gets blamed as if it's a goal.

rakoo 10y ago

> So whats changed? Eternal September ? As access got more and more widespread, the average savviness of new entrants lowered and they became more and more susceptible to the permanent trolling ? In turn, the new entrants have a bigger voice outside of the internet, and their parole is taken with more value than those who roamed it from the beginning, unmoved by the usual trolling ?

st3v3r 10y ago

I'm sorry, but this "ignore the trolls" meme has been proven wrong time and again these past few years. It's not a solution.

watwut 10y ago
Ignore trolls work when they are motivated by attention. It does not work when they hate your guts and seek to harm you however they can. That is like saying "just igore bullies" to bullied kid. It does not work.
KaiserPro 10y ago
I'm going to get specific here. I'm not talking about a bullying campaign that's branched out into the digital world, that is what I would class as actual trolling. I run a blog that talks about the specifics of labour law. A number of posts resonated with a profession that was going through a tough time. As time drew on, what was professional unity devolved into infighting along two lines: accept a new contract, or not and carry on industrial action. I advocated the new contract. It was the best offer(in my opinion), went from salary with a paycut and increased hours, to effectively an hourly rate with punitive overtime pay(for the employer) Now, This is where I supposedly got trolled. I was innundated with comments saying that I had "betrayed an entire profession", "I couldn't add up", "I'd never worked as X what the fuck did I know" In my posts I swear a lot. Instantly I went from an amusing post with some political points that "really hit the man" to "a dirty troll who's foul language betrays a profession" I just expressed an opinion. People engaged with me, and I them on twitter. When I didn't change my opinion, I was a troll. When I used high quality sources, I was a shill. Unless someone doxxes you, (either in public press, or 4chan) you can just turn it off. Twitter/facebook/email can all be erased. You do not have to respond. They want a response, to re-enforce their own opinion.
- watwut 10y ago
  "Twitter/facebook/email can all be erased." That can mean professional or social isolation for quite a lot of people - or at least disadvantage. The moment your blog, github account, facebook account or twitters matters for employers, peers, business, conferences you would like talk at or negotiations is the moment when walking away affects you.