The Trolls and the Trolled

Trolls. And no I’m not referring to the mountain cave dwelling monster that eats goats passing over the bridge, but the emergence of the new cyber species of troll. Internet trolls are known as those who deliberately post provocative or upsetting content or responses, on a variety of social media platforms, with the intention to provoke a reaction causing maximum disruption and outrage. These reactions are what feed the fire of the trolls, which in turn becomes a game of internet abuse, a cycle of reacting to a reaction, tit for tat.

Recently a news article by The Age titled Confessions of a Troll: Trolling is an Art, brought light to the issue, specifically as seen from the point of view of avid self-confessed troll Jamie Cochran.

In the past five years the prevalence of trolling has increased dramatically. The rise in popularity and accessibility of social media has widened the trolling platform, as they plague online forums, Facebook pages, twitter feeds, and blog and website comment sections looking for the spark to start the fire. These pages are then bombarded with insults, provocations or threats, with the intent to shock or outrage their target.

 An article by BBC News Magazine claims ‘supporters (of trolling) argue it's about humour, mischief and freedom of speech. But for many the ferocity and personal nature of the abuse verges on hate speech’. For Jamie Cochran, a self-confessed troll, she justifies her abuse calling it ‘performance art… it’s a way of evoking a reaction’.

In a country where freedom of speech is our greatest human right, how does this affect the trolls and the trolled? Is trolling merely trivial, as Cochran claims ‘some people need to learn how to take criticism, especially on the internet’. Or is there a more deep seeded viciousness to trolling as witnessed by Steven Deguara, as his late daughter’s online tribute page was defaced by a group of anonymous trolls.

In any case, the line is thin. Trivial or otherwise, troll abuse is something no one asks to be subjected to, nor should they be expected to ‘just deal with it’. Who are we to judge a person based on their social media page, and how does this really represent the person’s true identity? As a wise person once told me, if you don’t have something nice to say to someone, don’t say anything at all.

Image Source:

<http://www.dailywaffle.co.uk/2011/04/internet-trolls-the-webs-version-of-happy-slapping/>