This is an inkl Original article. If you like this article consider joining inkl where we serve up news without clickbait. Our unique algorithms help filter out the noise and bring you the best news stories from around the world.
Odds are that you may have seen a story in the news recently about the phenomenon of ‘trolling’ online. But unless you’re the parent to a teenager, or a woman blogger, you may not have experienced trolling first-hand, or even given it much thought. You should.
At inkl, we’ve been reading a lot of stories about trolling of late. Some suggest that trolling should be controlled through stricter policing. Others contend that it comes down to individual action. But all agree on one thing – as more and more of our lives are conducted online, we all need to be more aware of this growing problem, and the severe impact it can have on your life when you become a target for trolls.
Whither trolls?
According to a YouGov poll, 28% of Americans admitted to trolling in the past year. So there’s a reasonable likelihood that anyone reading this would know at least one internet troll, even if you don’t know who.
So what precisely is ‘trolling’? Trolling is the catchphrase used to describe menacing or intimidating online behaviour usually exhibited in the form of negative speech, commentary, or threats of harm. Trolls use the anonymity of the internet to disproportionately target women, minorities, children, and the disabled, through malicious and / or cruel comments. Children and teenagers are among the fastest growing targets for online cyberbullying (a particularly vicious form of trolling directed at minors, often with the aim of inducing self-harm).
Part of the problem with trolling is the extremely broad definition of the term. On one hand trolling can be used to describe relatively innocuous and mischievous behaviour, like inciting an argument or taking a controversial position just to elicit a reaction. And while this sort of behaviour may be irritating and juvenile, it’s not illegal. In fact, in most cases it would be protected under freedom of speech legislation.
But on the other hand, trolling can also be extremely harmful and very clearly illegal. For example, revenge porn is an extreme form of trolling in which a person publishes compromising pictures or videos of a former partner with the specific aim of causing public humiliation and reputational damage. Revenge porn is already illegal in many places (including 26 States in America) and it likely (hopefully) will soon be illegal everywhere else.
But between these two extremes lies the foggy, dangerous territory that most trolls occupy. And in that fog they can neither be identified, not easily fought off and many who have been attacked have found.
Making matters even more complicated, often trolls operate in groups rather than as individuals. For example, the hacker group Anonymous recently declared war on ISIS and as part of its fight, asked its followers to troll the terrorist organisation. This particular action might in fact be something you could get behind, or even applaud. But it just goes to show how nuanced and complex the issue can become.
Why can’t we stop the trolls?
One of the defining characteristics of the internet has been the ease of adopting pseudonyms. For trolls, this has proven to be vital. With the security of anonymity, trolls hide behind online profiles and issue statements with little fear of reprisal or consequence.
Trolling has also become so widespread today that it would be practically impossible to remove every single troll from the internet. And while trolling as a behaviour shows up across all media platforms, certain ones are more likely than others to be targeted by trolls.
So despite all the laws and legislation scrambling to get on top of this issue, troll numbers continue to rise.
Geographically too, trolls are difficult to monitor because the platforms on which their comments and threats appear, are transnational. So even if a troll can be caught, implementing punishment can be difficult. Many countries do have laws regulating internet use, but these laws are difficult to apply internationally.
The social media sites themselves also try to fight the trolls. Most have rules against cyberbullying, and invest significant sums of money in trying to address this issue. But even social media monitoring can also only go so far. Regulating trolls and their accounts is incredibly difficult even with the seemingly endless resources and technological capabilities that these firms possess.
So what’s the alternative?
Since trolls are usually motivated by the desire to provoke a reaction, one option is to simple ignore them. This seems sensible, especially if the troll’s actions are annoying, rather than threatening. But for trolls who are desperate for attention or confrontation, ignoring them might simply drive them towards an escalation in their attacks.
So the second option is to fight back. This can be done by baiting the trolls. Lucy Worsley, a TV historian and broadcaster, confronted online abusers by directly asking them if they would say these mean things to their face. A female journalist in India also fought back against a troll who threatened her over social media by contacting local police, which led to an arrest.
The third option is simply is to hide from trolls by going offline or closely monitoring social media sites. Schools advise this course of action for children and young adults. Their staff are trained to know what to do when a student is being cyberbullied, especially if the case becomes so severe that it starts threatening the health and wellbeing of a student. And experts advise parents to be vigilant, and to educate their kids about online privacy and sharing information online.
Conclusion
It appears highly unlikely that technology companies, law-enforcement agencies, or governments and legislative bodies will be able to contain the menace of trolling. The sad reality appears to be that whether you hide from them, ignore them, or fight them, the trolls are here to stay.
