Don’t Feed the Trolls
Nov 7th, 2006 by Jeremy
I can just hear a few reader’s now saying, uhhh…ok, it’s alright for you to hate trolls. They’re mythical and therefore not real, but if it floats your boat, you go right ahead and hate them. No, actually I’m pretty sure that most everyone reading this blog participates or at least reads some forums and knows exactly what I’m talking about. Trolls are those annoying people that like to make problems on forums, chats, whatever by bringing up the most simple but opposite viewpoint from the general crowd involved.
I always wonder who these pain the the virtual rears are. Where do they get all this time and why do they get so much pleasure from doing the same thing over and over just to see the response of everyone else. I see this everywhere. Slashdot typically has several on every story they post, often in an attempt at humor because the seasoned group there sees those post for that they are. They have the system in their editing process to “mod” them down so they get read less often.
Where it really bugs me is on less sophisticated sites, like local newspapers or TV stations. I think it is great how they include a comment section on stories to create a sense of community participation in their stories. There are often a bunch of opinions posted, and some worthwhile things said that are interesting to read. But, inevitably there is some troll on each story that lashes out in a simple way and a string of replies inflamed against what was said. So, who is the the real dummy? Both sides. The troll for feeling the need to get it started, and everyone that sees the need to lash out and counter it. You are just feeding the troll’s addiction.
What is the demographic of a troll? I really have no idea, but I can make a guess. I think I am on pretty safe ground saying it is usually some young teenage pimple faced punk that spends way too much time hanging on the computer trying to feel like a big man by stirring up trouble and flexing those virtual muscles he doesn’t have in the real world. And what about all the trolls that don’t fit this young boy description? I’m pretty sure they a bunch of adolescently minded men that fit this description in more ways than they would like to admit.
Here’s a great FAQ on trolls and what to do about them. For any trolls out there that have happened upon this post, get a clue, get a life. For everyone else reading, don’t feed the troll, and usually they will go away.
Ahh, I feel much better now.
[...] I have written previously about Online Trolls and the admonition not to feed them. Though similar, the angry user is a far more dangerous species. Trolls typically try to get the confrontations going simply for their enjoyment and out of a complete abundance of time on their hands. A troll has nothing better to do and their sad, pathetic lives revolve around deriving some childish pleasure from making some ridiculous comment that will obviously inflame the others on the site. Usually these types just go elsewhere in search of their needed attention if you ignore them, hence the advice to not “feed the trolls.” [...]