"Internet Trolls..."

Meanwhile, you yourself have not even addressed the OP yet.[/b]

My own experience of being trolled is that there is a whole spectrum of behavior that is
construed as trolling, not all of it sinister, ranging from simply poking fun to outright lies
and defamation of character, comments about peoples wives, dead parents etc There
are some truly horrible people but the forum usually rises up and expunges them
somehow before they can do much damage.

Its probably is good advice to simply ignore trolls but then again there is something just
about seeing a troll counter trolled.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
My own experience of being trolled is that there is a whole spectrum of behavior that is
construed as trolling, not all of it sinister, ranging from simply poking fun to outright lies
and defamation of character, comments about peoples wives, dead parents etc There
are some truly horrible people but the forum usually rises up and expunges them ...[text shortened]... ply ignore trolls but then again there is something just
about seeing a troll counter trolled.

When you say that " there is a whole spectrum of behavior that is construed as trolling" isn't that licence for anyone to declare anyone else to be a "troll"? I contend that most accusations of being a "troll" here at RHP are people giving themselves licence to simply bail out of discussions with a cheap ad hominem. I don't think the accusation of being a "troll" has much traction or meaning here any more.

Originally posted by FMF
When you say that " there is a whole spectrum of behavior that is construed as trolling" isn't that licence for anyone to declare anyone else to be a "troll"? I contend that most accusations of being a "troll" here at RHP are people giving themselves licence to simply bail out of discussions with a cheap ad hominem. I don't think the accusation of being a "troll" has much traction or meaning here any more.

Trolling is now seen as a kind of art form and is held in high regard, even entering the
psyche of common culture as a kind of virtue. This evolution from its original sinister
state of simply making life intolerable for people on the internet is difficult to fathom, but
its happened. One hears of football managers trolling members of the press during
press conferences (meaning just making fun of them), or kids on minecraft trolling other
kids by stealing or destroying all the stuff they have made. It has many connotations and
nuances other than simply making life intolerable for people on the internet which is what
i think it was originally intended to mean and may still be perceived as such.

Is it meaningless here or anywhere else to term someone a troll? I doubt it, its certainly
not meaningless to the recipients of trolling behaviour. Is it a bail out? Maybe, but so
what, no one likes to have every last vestige of dignity stripped from them and be totally
left in the lurch with no way out.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Is it meaningless here or anywhere else to term someone a troll? I doubt it, its certainly
not meaningless to the recipients of trolling behaviour. Is it a bail out? Maybe, but so
what, no one likes to have every last vestige of dignity stripped from them and be totally
left in the lurch with no way out.

If the definition of "trolling" ranges from and encompasses - as you claim - "poking fun" one hand to making sinister or horrible remarks about "dead parents" on the other then the word effectively means nothing except as an epithet deployed to dismiss or avoid things one does not approve of.

Originally posted by FMF
If the definition of "trolling" ranges from and encompasses - as you claim - "poking fun" one hand to making sinister or horrible remarks about "dead parents" on the other then the word effectively means nothing except as an epithet deployed to dismiss or avoid things one does not approve of.

It depends and is difficult to evaluate when we are dealing with perceptions. If one is
being trolled and calls out the troll for trolling then is it meaningless? not if it actually is
the case that a troll is deliberately making life intolerable by targeting another forum user,
surely. Ok you may have a point if someone cannot logically or rationally explain their
stance and simply call out troll as a get out clause, but that does not mean that there are
not other genuine instances of users being deliberately targeted and attacked.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
It depends and is difficult to evaluate when we are dealing with perceptions. If one is
being trolled and calls out the troll for trolling then is it meaningless?..

Yes, as long as you define it the way you have. Your definition basically renders the word useless. It becomes a mere bit of banter ~ even more so if, as you have, you argue that it can sometimes be OK or even "just". A word that means something that's OK AND something sinister and horrible? The word has been stripped of meaning.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Its probably is good advice to simply ignore trolls but then again there is something just
about seeing a troll counter trolled.

So if, say, twhitehead felt he was being "trolled" by someone like Grampy Bobby on the Spirituality Forum, according to you, there would be something "just" about seeing Grampy Bobby "counter trolled"? Is this what you mean?

Originally posted by FMF
So if, say, twhitehead felt he was being "trolled" by someone like Grampy Bobby on the Spirituality Forum, according to you, there would be something "just" about seeing Grampy Bobby "counter trolled"? Is this what you mean?

it depends on the nature of the trolling, if it was sinister or benign.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
it depends on the nature of the trolling, if it was sinister or benign.

As long as the "troll" thinks it's OK, then it's OK, is that what you mean?

I think a woolly, ineffective word, like "troll" is a barrier to communication. One thing it certainly does seem to mean, more often than not here at RHP, is 'I don't want to discuss this with you', 'I don't like you',

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby (OP)
"Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response."
Jennifer Golbeck Ph.D. Your Online Secrets [Posted Sep 18, 2014]

"In this month's issue of Personality and Individual Differences, a study was published(link is external) that confirms what we all suspected: Internet trolls ...[text shortened]... 9/internet-trolls-are-narcissists-psychopaths-and-sadists
_______________________

Your insights?

"Why do people think it’s okay to say racist, inflammatory, or otherwise socially inappropriate things online? Research in communication and psychology has investigated people’s perceptions, rationale, and behavior and identified several factors that determine the likelihood that a given individual may post offensive content.

Following are eight:

1. Anonymity. Some people are under the impression that you can say anything online and get away with it. Online forums, the comment sections of news media sites, and sites such as Reddit and Twitter allow people to make up screen names or handles that are not linked to their real world identity. The online disinhibition effect suggests that this anonymity may drive more deviant behavior, because it is easy to avoid consequences."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/better-living-technology/201408/why-the-online-trolls-troll

Originally posted by FMF
As long as the "troll" thinks it's OK, then it's OK, is that what you mean?

I think a woolly, ineffective word, like "troll" is a barrier to communication. One thing it certainly does seem to mean, more often than not here at RHP, is 'I don't want to discuss this with you', 'I don't like you',

No i have already explained, it depends on the nature of the trolling whether its sinister or benign. I cannot be any more clear than that. I suspect it may be a barrier to communication but then again if someone is being persistently and systematically targeted we can hardly blame them for using the term to mean 'I don't want to discuss this with you', 'I don't like you', after all who likes being made to look foolish in public? If they were being made to feel good about themselves then there would be no need to resort to the term troll, surely?

Originally quoted by Grampy Bobby
"Why do people think it’s okay to say racist, inflammatory, or otherwise socially inappropriate things online?

When you consider how many people post and how many times they do so, I have seen relatively little posted here that wouldn't be just fine in a real life equivalent-to-these-forums situation in real life ~ like a party, or get together or bar. I have seen very few instances of people 'benefitting' from or exploiting anonymity or indeed being much affected by it. There was a poster called living in a cave who used to pop up from time time and advocate and/or applaud the slaughter of Jews; he seemed to be using his anonymity to be controversial in a way he wouldn't in real life.

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
"Why do people think it’s okay to say racist, inflammatory, or otherwise socially inappropriate things online? Research in communication and psychology has investigated people’s perceptions, rationale, and behavior and identified several factors that determine the likelihood that a given individual may post offensive content.

Following are eight:

...[text shortened]... https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/better-living-technology/201408/why-the-online-trolls-troll

Its people that shout abuse at you from the comfort of their cars knowing they can drive away syndrome 😀

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
...if someone is being persistently and systematically targeted we can hardly blame them for using the term to mean 'I don't want to discuss this with you', 'I don't like you', after all who likes being made to look foolish in public?

I'd say copping out of discussion - or taking no responsibility for a claim made - by calling people "trolls" makes people look foolish.

Originally posted by FMF
I'd say copping out of discussion - or taking no responsibility for a claim made - by calling people "trolls" makes people look foolish.

yes but perhaps the alternative is worse