Trolls: What they are

[Ron Jeremy 2,032]

Troll.

 

Everybody throws this term around. It’s a common term. “[X] just trolled me!” “[X] is a troll!”.

 

How many of you know what “troll” actually means.

 

Since the dawn of Man, humans have interacted with each other socially. It’s human nature to socialize, converse. Communicate and cooperate. But enough with this pretty-sounding psychology crap I’m using to pad this out to make myself look smarter than I am.

 

On any method of communication on the Internet, be it forums, chats, IRCs, anything, there are people who all share common interests, but I am using Internet forums as an example, for the purpose of consistency. These forums exist for those who share those interests to discuss them. There’s an element of harmony on a forum, the people getting along and discussing the things they hold an interest in.

 

Now, with all this harmony, everything seems perfect, right? Everybody is happy discussing said interests. What could go wrong?

 

Chaos.

 

Some people, however, find joy in breaking these elements of harmony. There are many reasons a person may wish to bring forth chaos to an Internet forum. Here are a small number of them.

 

The individual enjoys harassing people.

 

The individual hates the topic of the forum.

 

The individual wants to make those who hold interest in the topic of the forum look bad.

 

The individual is just a misanthrope who dislikes seeing people happy.

 

Now that you partially understand the scope, now you are possibly asking “But, what’s the term for one of these people who does these things”? Well, you already know the term, and you’ve probably said it, in fact.

 

Troll.

 

A troll will attempt to ingrain themselves into a community, so they can cause as much chaos as possible. A troll’s job is better when they are trusted. For one, a moderator is more likely to ban a new member when they act out than an established one. A troll will gain a position of trust in a community, and once they’ve formed pseudo-friendships with members of the community, their work begins. Some of the telltale signs of a troll are:

 

Seemingly doing their best to start an argument.

Frequently appearing to be attempting to perpetuate an argument, after an argument has settled down. (Example: “That guy called you a jerk. Go call him a jerk back!” and “But he’s not right, you are. Don’t back down!”)

 

Jumping from side-to-side in an argument, to fuel it. (Examples: “Belcho the White Wizard is the strongest, Joe!” “Bob, Farty the Black Wizard is better!”)

 

Bringing up subjects they know cause issues in the community. (Broad examples would be frequently bringing up sexuality, morality regarding abortion, religion)

 

The essence of a troll, as I have indirectly stated, is a person who enjoys the misery of others. Who gets joy, or “lulz” from seeing others get upset and angry. A troll likes nothing better than seeing good friends become angry enemies, seeing healthy communities becoming Internet wastelands. A troll uses social engineering techniques to accomplish this.

 

Now, you may have also asked “But what about those guys who do annoying post disgusting images, call names, and similar things?” Well, the answer is; those are not trolls. They are something else entirely.

 

Griefers.

 

Most of the time, when people say “Troll” they mean “Griefer”. A griefer will skip the social engineering, and directly post offensive content. Racist posts, shock images, mass-spamming, they go for maximum offense on the get-go. Examples are “ is a [racial slur here]” “[community/subculture here] is/are a bunch of pathetic losers!”

 

In the end, many times, when a person is called a “troll” they are neither trolling nor griefing. They are just posting something that the person who happens to be reading it happens to dislike. Being merely tricked/annoyed is far from trolling, and if somebody gets on your nerves occasionally, that doesn’t mean they are trolling; it just means you disagree with them, and how they are.

 

In the end, whether a person is a troll, griefer, or innocent user, it does not matter, for the solution is the same:

 

Love and tolerance.

 

It may sound corny, but it really is the solution. Reacting to a troll or griefer just gives them what it wants, and keeps their interest piqued. And if the person is an innocent member, not getting upset can keep an argument from flaring up, which in turn keeps trolls from getting what they want. If people are willing to strive to get along and keep from aggressively arguing, the influence of trolls and griefers can be minimized.

 

And with that, I end this little lecture of mine. Whether you take it with a grain of salt or take it to heart as wisdom, it does not matter. All I ask is that you actually read it, and not just declare it “tl;dr”. As doing so would be annoying. Not trolling, not griefing, just annoying.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Sky King K. Roop

[Kyreth 194]

I agree with all of that. Unfortunately there always are and always will be people like that, the best we can hope for is to lessen their numbers a bit.

[HanPolo 151]

The method we 'developed' for defeating the troll is one of things im most proud of this community for. I laugh everytime I think of a troll shriviling up becuase were starving them of what they want

[Java Jive 440]

I agree with all of that. Unfortunately there always are and always will be people like that, the best we can hope for is to lessen their numbers a bit.

 

Peer pressure as a cause is one of the biggest reasons. Often i've met people who will talk openly to you alone, but act so differently when they are in a group. Sad, but it just is.

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

Trolls are people who are bord and grief people to entertain themselves.

Best way to kill trolls...ignore them.

trust me, when you try your best to troll someone and get no response and acknowledgement it makes you feel like an ass.

[Envy 6,202]

Since when did those two concepts get separated?

 

I have always thought of a troll as somebody who joins a forum with the sole intent of causing trouble. They typically create a topic with a viewpoint meant to make some members mad. It may be a viewpoint that they have, but if they do they have twisted it around to make it more extreme and make members mad. They can not be argued with, because instead of actually debating they resort toward attacking members. Pretty much with anything they have, like what's in your avatar/signature.

 

I've gotten really annoyed with how what I described above has now just become one kind of troll. To me, what I mentioned above is the only troll.

 

People have twisted the word around so much these days where they use it to describe members that consistently disagree with them and/or are not good at properly wording their posts. Also members with extreme opinions are automatically labeled as trolls, even though they're not. Having an extreme opinion does not make you a troll. We all have extreme and ridiculous opinions at times in our lives, and we're going to post them.

 

The term is now meaningless. It is merely an insult used by a member who is having trouble debating with another. It is literally just an "Lalala I can't hear you!" term. The term just needs to go away.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Envy

[Ron Jeremy 2,032]

Since when did those two concepts get separated?

 

I have always thought of a troll as somebody who joins a forum with the sole intent of causing trouble. They typically create a topic with a viewpoint meant to make some members mad. It may be a viewpoint that they have, but if they do they have twisted it around to make it more extreme and make members mad. They can not be argued with, because instead of actually debating they resort toward attacking members. Pretty much with anything they have, like what's in your avatar/signature.

 

I've gotten really annoyed with how what I described above has now just become one kind of troll. To me, what I mentioned above is the only troll.

 

People have twisted the word around so much these days where they use it to describe members that consistently disagree with them and/or are not good at properly wording their posts. Also members with extreme opinions are automatically labeled as trolls, even though they're not. Having an extreme opinion does not make you a troll. We all have extreme and ridiculous opinions at times in our lives, and we're going to post them.

 

The term is now meaningless. It is merely an insult used by a member who is having trouble debating with another. It is literally just an "Lalala I can't hear you!" term. The term just needs to go away.

 

ANDRASTE'S BREATH!

 

SOMEPONY GETS WHAT I WAS GOING AT! (kinda) Which is, the whole "people throwing around the term "troll" falsely thing.

 

*Red text: I kinda touched on that in the "Griefers" section. You pretty much said part of what I was saying, but in a less-weird way.

 

In layman's terms: Troll = gets themselves situated. Griefer = starts being offensive right off the bat.

[Eenohay 318]

Good trolls are cool.

 

Wannabe trolls are funny to trolls

 

But yeah, love and tolerate, it's not easy to troll bronies like us who act in civilized manners

[83awsm 234]

Trolls are people who are bord and grief people to entertain themselves.

Best way to kill trolls...ignore them.

trust me, when you try your best to troll someone and get no response and acknowledgement it makes you feel like an ass.

 

This.

 

If you ignore them, they have no reaction to feed off or get enjoyment out of. Trolls will troll and haters gonna hate, so challenging them is like fighting fire with fire... thats why I think the philosphy behind the brony motto of love and toleration seems to work so well

[Ezynell 2,037]

TL;DR I like ponies.

 

Prime example of a troll right here.

 

 

I read the entire post and it was rather good. Nothing in it had to do with ponies besides the final paragraph. I'm suprised by the small number of likes the OP has.

[Evilshy 5,090]

Trolling isnt a science, there aren't rules to it. Trolling is a art.

[Fizz. 1,078]

I was gonna post "tl;dr" but Feld0 is deleting all those posts! xD

[Guest]

Very informative post! I agree Griefer=/=Troll, and the best way to kill both is to ignore them.

 

I admit I used to be a little bit of a wannabee troll, but that was years ago.

 

Also, this reminds me of one of my poems!

 

You Post, I Post

 

You post, I post

Up go the flames

 

Marking our targets

Calling out names

 

Others soon join us

Backing our claims

 

Neither side breaking

Such foolish games

 

The trolls they lead on

While the anons join in too

 

The youtubers post

While feeling so kool

 

From Facebook, Reddit

And other sites it drew

 

More fodder for the cannons

They're forming a queue

 

The battle subsides

And the warriors scatter

 

Some left with a smile

Others in tatters

 

With the rush and excitement

Our sanity it shatters

 

Hard to believe such a fight

Could be over trivial matters

[The Milkman 186]

All I ask is that you actually read it, and not just declare it “tl;dr”. As doing so would be annoying. Not trolling, not griefing, just annoying.

 

You just won my heart.

[Starshine 16,335]

So.. In a way, Trolls are the ones who enjoys inciting argument, and sit back to watch. While Griefers are the ones who prefer more direct offensive approach?

 

I never though these kind of species can be divided this way

[Legit101 300]

So.. In a way, Trolls are the ones who enjoys inciting argument, and sit back to watch. While Griefers are the ones who prefer more direct offensive approach?

 

I never though these kind of species can be divided this way

 

Is it really that hard to differeant?

 

Griefers are generally people who destroy others work, through whatever means possible, no matter how long it takes.

Trolls are just as manipulative but don't really destroy anything, instead usually make somebody or a group of people angry or upset, through whatever means possible. A broader term.

 

Both terms get thrown around so much that they've almost lost their meaning.

Kind of like how people on Facebook go "haxed by katie XXDD <333 u~~~".

Misuse of the term.

Edited February 4, 2012 by Legit101

[Ron Jeremy 2,032]

You just won my heart.

 

KKR WINS! FATALITY!

 

So.. In a way, Trolls are the ones who enjoys inciting argument, and sit back to watch. While Griefers are the ones who prefer more direct offensive approach?

 

I never though these kind of species can be divided this way

 

Eeyup, pretty much.

 

Is it really that hard to differeant?

 

Griefers are generally people who destroy others work, through whatever means possible, no matter how long it takes.

Trolls are just as manipulative but don't really destroy anything, instead usually make somebody or a group of people angry or upset, through whatever means possible. A broader term.

 

Both terms get thrown around so much that they've almost lost their meaning.

Kind of like how people on Facebook go "haxed by katie XXDD <333 u~~~".

Misuse of the term.

 

Part of the reason I made this thread is because so many people can't tell the difference between the two. And I thought something along the lines of "What better way to explain it than to write a huge thread about it?" because it got me thinking that there really aren't that many articles like this around, at least not that I know of, and, well, having one might be helpful.

 

Another part of the reason I made the thread is because I got tired of the term "trolling" losing it's meaning, when it really does need to keep it.

[EldarSteve 119]

Trolls are in a way the lovably bastards of the internet. In my opinion anyway. The're all good people down at the core, I mean there are just in it for the lulz.

[Zalgo 593]

I agree with all of that, and I love the ending

[Dark Flame 30]

Likewise ^^^^^^^^^^

[Luurilka 325]

Discord is best troll

Fluttershy is untrollable:

[Prince Lightning Da Cute 619]

i know excatly what you mean, you should've seen the first time when i met a troll,(TagTeamCast Vs. Troll, who would win?). it was the worst bacause i didn't even know what a troll was back then.