Posted on 07/04/2009 3:13:53 PM PDT by steve-b
Consider this a public service announcement - like one of those "More You Know" segments on Saturday morning TV or one of those "Knowledge is Power" bits from G.I. Joe.
Today's topic is "trolling," a common practice on forums, message boards and blog comments. The Urban Dictionary defines trolling as "the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on the internet" usually just because you can.
By why would anyone do this? Are people really so bored that they see insulting other people as a form of entertainment? There are a lot of complex psychological factors involved with trolling, but I think the root of the problem comes from not knowing (or caring) about the difference between good attention and bad attention.
Just like Bart Simpson, they don't know the difference between good attention, like the kind you get for getting straight A's versus bad attention, like the kind you get for making the sinks overflow in the boy's bathroom.
It's the attention itself that matters. Trolls choose bad attention because it's so much easier to get. The way human beings are wired, we are quick to respond to bad things and lamentably slow to recognize good ones.
Come onto a forum and be a good boy for six weeks. Contribute constructively to discussions, write mature, thoughtful replies and do your best to get along with everyone and maybe every couple months someone will thank you or mention how helpful you are.
So you get a little drop of attention for being good. Or you can come onto a forum and act like a total jerk. Lash out with insults, profanity and accusations of racism and mental illness. Do this and you can get tons of attention. Big virtual buckets of attention. People will stop what they're doing, give up on their current discussions and devote hours of their time to you.
Sure, they'll hate you, but you can crawl in bed every night and know that you really matter. You can rest easy knowing that you are dominating the thoughts and controlling the emotions of dozens of total strangers. You are the center of attention. You are in control.
That's the most basic kind of trolling: saying stupid stuff on the Internet so you can sidetrack the discussion and get people shouting at you. But not all trolls are equal. There's the idiot troll who lashes out blindly and fights with anyone dumb enough to respond. There's the passive-aggressive troll who makes little insinuations and delivers targeted insults until somebody decides to fight back. And then we have the artist, a troll who knows exactly what he's doing and treats the whole thing like a game.
These trolls can be hard to spot because they pride themselves on their ability to blend in with the crowd. I'm writing this column because I saw a fantastic troll last week.
Please note that "troll" can be used to refer to a person who is trolling for attention or as a noun to describe the attempt itself.
This troll occurred on the io9 Sci-Fi blog in a thread titled "Shia May Be Our Last Man After All." It's a post about Shia LeBeouf's interest in the movie adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's "Y: The Last Man."
Sci-Fi fans hate Shia LeBeouf the way ordinary people hate Keanu Reeves. He's a blank slate who looks like a generic movie hero but has no real depth to his performances. Whether you agree with that or not, it's the common opinion among Sci-Fi fans.
A user named "OMG! Ponies!" wrote:
"I loved his work in 'Holes'. Ever since then, I have thought of Shia LaBeouf as quite possibly the greatest actor of his generation. He is the reason that 'Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull' was such a worthy addition to the franchise and he has been the main reason that I saw 'Transformers' three times in the movie theatre.
"It's easy to forget how taut 'Eagle Eye' was as a technothriller because of Shia's star turn in 'Disturbia'. For those who do not bother with DVD extras, watch any of the interviews with Shia on the DVDs and you will see what an intelligent, nuanced artist Shia is. He can turn even the most mundane sci-fi flick into a thought-provoking exercise on what it is to be young and American in the 21st century.
"We may be looking at the next Paul Newman in Shia."
Inspiring a user named "transbastard" to write:
"This is AAA trolling right there. None of the usual warning signs, dead-pan delivery and increasing madness to the very end. You must be a blackbelt in troll-fu."
This is an example of advanced trolling. Not just blindly insulting people, but inciting virtual riots by sincerely advocating outlandish positions that you don't actually believe.
The Internet is full of obsessive-compulsive trivia hawks who live for the thrill of correcting people who make incorrect statements about pop culture. Artistic trolling doesn't target ordinary people. Any idiot can storm onto a political board and shout, "Republicans suck!"
Skillful trolling isn't about shouting at people; it's about being totally calm and reasonable and inviting OCD trivia geeks to shout at you. I played this game in the alt.religion.kibology newsgroup in the early '90s, baiting Star Trek geeks and Star Wars fanatics to try and provoke the maximum reaction for minimum effort. Sometimes I would cross-post between the Star Trek and Star Wars groups and make incorrect statements about both franchises at the same time.
The trick is to make a perfectly banal statement that happens to contain a tiny bit of misinformation - something obscure that only a superfan would know. For example, "Geordi was great, but not as witty as Scotty in Star Trek 8."
Of course, Scotty wasn't in Star Trek 8. Scotty was in Star Trek 7. No normal human being would care about this mistake, but to hardcore fans this is the equivalent of misquoting scripture. Advanced trolling would be to post this comment on a Star Trek board and count how many people correct you. People who correct you with insults, profanity or extended screeds about how stupid you are count for double points.
So there are two lessons here. First, don't be a troll. It's a transparent ploy for attention and adults really should be above this behavior. And second, don't be too quick to insult people who get things wrong on the Internet. They're probably just innocent people who don't deserve the abuse. Or they could be posting misinformation on purpose so when you respond with anger the joke is on you.
This whole story is a troll!
How do I know you’re not a troll?
Chris Pine sucked in Star Wars 7.
There’s jerks on the internet? Next you’ll be telling me there’s porn too.
As someone who has been called a troll often enough over the last 11 years, let me offer my perspective. The real trolls will reveal themselves with a lot of anger. Trolls, IMHO, seek the fight, not the discussion. They want someone to get mad at them, then they can get mad back, and the fight is on. They will disagree with practically everything.
parsy, who is contrarian on economic stuff
Makes perfect sense.
Thanks for posting.
You’re all a bunch of right wing extremists!
Yes.
C3PO is gay.
ASH ALERT!!!
Perhaps asexual with feminine proclivities.
>>hey want someone to get mad at them, then they can get mad back, and the fight is on. They will disagree with practically everything.<<
That is total crap! Take it back!!
And Pippin's favorite troll...
Go away! Troll!
I happen to know for a fact that dilithium crystals were actually made out of Pop Rocks.
I have been called a troll here(mostly because of the IRaq war) though I have never voted democrat in all my life and support a wide spectrum of views even fromThompson, Cheney, Romney to PJ Buchanan and Ron Paul. I am not in 100% agreement with Sarah Palin but I trust her far more than any other viable candidate. The only presidential campaign I was ever involved in was the last, all on account SP. I cant imagine not voting for whoever the R is but if another RINO, no money, no time from me.
After several years of trying to come up with a good and sound definition of troll, that would work for everyone — I finally found it. And it was something that was developed right here on Free Republic.
I believe — inherently — everyone knows this definition already, so I’m sure it’s nothing new. But, it may seem new, seeing it actually in writing...
So, the FRee Republic definition of troll that works just fine for each poster who wants to use a solid definition... is...
Any poster who disagrees with my position is a troll!
That’s it... it’s simplicity itself...
:-)
I just gotta remember that one . . . .
Well, the reason why you were called a troll is basically because you fit right into the self-evident definition that everyone has known since they were children...
See post #21... :-)
Ummm..., I’m sorry, but if we all followed the “Don’t Feed the Troll” principle here on Free Republic, all the posters would have to go home and there would be no one left here... :-)
See post #21...
Eeeeek they are on to ya.....run !!!
porn do you have a link ?
Nope, I’m just here for the knitting patterns and biscuit recipes.
“we have met the enemy and he is us”
—
A Pogo quote...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo_(comics)
[sometimes link doesn’t work...]
bttt
Yep, like the trolls here for the past few days trolling by posting negative comments (no reason I could see) about people that like Apple/Mac.
You said — As someone who has been called a troll often enough over the last 11 years, let me offer my perspective.
—
Ummm.., post #21 and post #21 probably offers the most comprehensive definition possible... :-)
Oooops...
Ummm.., post #21 and post #21 probably offers the most comprehensive definition possible... :-)
should be...
Ummm.., post #21 and post #24 probably offers the most comprehensive definition possible... :-)
[big smile...]
Why is this in breaking news?
You said — Yep, like the trolls here for the past few days trolling by posting negative comments (no reason I could see) about people that like Apple/Mac.
—
Yeah, you’re right... I keep telling the Admins that all Windows users are trolls, but they’re not listening to me... LOL...
You asked — Why is this in breaking news?
—
Ummm..., that’s easy...
We finally found the “unifying definition” for “troll”... the holy grail of trolldom...
It’s in post #21... doncha know... (and I think you’re a troll...)
Putting up with windows and microsoft makes one edgy.
parsy, who’s internet explorer won’t work despite redownloading it, so he is using firefox
All these years I thought they were saying droll.
I have really been doing it wrong.
To the union black is white. When I tell them the CPI has contracted they call me a liar and say it has risen to 6.5%. When I explain to them that their representatives have f*ck*d up their pension plan, they tell me it's due to the recession.
Needless to say, union representation is polluted by trolls.
troll-bump
I thought that “The Wrath of the Jedi” was far superior to “Revenge of Khan”.
troll=bait me...
This makes no since, absoluetly none.
ps. anybody who owns a pitbull is an anti-social maroon.
I figured you would find this thread when you saw it described you perfectly. Right? ;-)
Now that's how it's done.
lol
Nam Vet
Damn and I have been laying low for nine years ready to pounce!
You are a stealthy little beggar I will give ya that.......looking at yer 4th cannon ops .....ROTFLMAO !
You did get this on you tube didn’t ya ??? Please say ya did !!
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