This article was written in 2008, and predicted the amount of trolling cases to increase by 2012. It really did since almost everyone trolls nowadays. But what really intrigues me is how people affected by it in real life, and what really drives these trolls into doing their thing.
I have to say that the author here has done a superb investigation. Interviewing well known trolls face-to-face opens up to a lot of modern thinking of how life is in the digital revolution. To be with, interviewing trolls is almost impossible given of their anonymity, shyness and deviance.
There's so much to say about this article, but I'll just summarize it to a list of what I've learned:
1) Trolls have real-life issues. I'm talking about the "hardcore" ones who dwell in 4chan. Whether they had experienced the bitterness of life before or absorbed the Internet’s entire negative stigma, their grief has led them to grief other people. In short, they cope up these issues by channeling it in the safety of the internet. Simply put, they are at the mercy of the world.
2) Trolls will always be unsuccessful. The "successful missions" we have been hearing from Anonymous are really a series of attention-seeking attempts as they really have yet to create major change. Similar to the occasional forum troll, they are just there for the "funz"; nothing more. For a troll to become successful, he needs to overcome being a troll first. So, is being a troll really bad? Not really, everything in life is a learning experience. To put it in harsher terms: they fail in life. The picture of the guy in the article says it all.
3) Anonymity is the sole reason for trolling. I guess the article explains it all, but I'm interested what happens to trolls when anonymity is gone. I have already experience this, but I’ll save it for another post. Here’s what I think: it’s all in the human mind. Other than the fact you have committed a crime, nothing really is changed. So what if you were caught by your identity? The key is you can always disengage from the internet. It’s simple. Your life will remain normal.
4) Trolling or most stuff in the internet can easily be an afterthought. I think most of us are not aware of this because information moves so fast in the web. Even everlasting memes can become irrelevant when one is put into a real life context. It should always be noted that: REAL LIFE > INTERNET, although there are exception to some people, especially those who have sensitive or vulnerable personality.
5) Trolling is not to be taken seriously. This is pretty much how you prevent trolls, by not taking them seriously or simply just ignoring them.
6) Trolls are irrelevant. Even with reported attacks in big companies, most trolling cases are not newsworthy most because people dismiss them as irrelevant in the long run. This, again, stresses they are not changing the world, one way or another. But, based from my understanding on the article…
7) Trolls are unpredictable and should not be underestimated. This goes to the future of the Internet. Even with point 1-6, they can still be a threat. For now, they are just a nuisance, but the growing complexity of the web, and the different ways of how people use it, gives the possibility trolls becoming a relevant threat in the near future. If they cross real life, that’s the point we’re in big trouble.
8) Trolls are humans too. Behind that computer screen, lies a smart and compassionate creature too. What a quote from Fortuny in the article: “It’s not that I hate them. I just want to save them.” This is the answer I’ve been looking for this blog; I just need to prove and see it for myself. I guess what he is just trying to say is that he wants people to become competent for others; challenging people’s beliefs and egos; in turn, teaching people how to become better.
But of course, it’s still an issue because it’s a by-product of people’s negative intentions omitted from the internet. I can say it’s more of a natural occurrence, but I believe that discipline in the web can reflect discipline in real life, vice-versa.
In conclusion, this article serves as a key in unlocking the phenomena we call trolling. I’m more enthusiastic and excited than ever into further investigating this issue. I hope this article becomes useful the next time you spot a troll.
Boy, what a complicated world we are living in!
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