On trolls and trolling

Anyone who has ever put anything on social media, or has thought of leveraging social media for their own branding, is aware of the presence of trolls. These are those nameless, faceless poor souls who on their own may not have achieved anything but are sure to let the original posters (OPs) know what they, the trolls, think about the OPs.

Case-in-point: Open the social media profile of any celebrity. Check any of their uploads. Rather, check the comments on any of their uploads. Sure, there will be hundreds of appreciative or celebratory/ congratulatory comments. But, at the same time, there will be several comments cursing, abusing or simply saying mean things too. The celebrities may not pay heed to such comments. They have other important things to do with their time. The simple presence of trolls and the manifestation of their thoughts presents an interesting view of their minds.

Why do trolls exist?

There are several ways in which people get trolled. Posting public comments spiked with hatred is one of them. Sending threatening messages is another. Then, there are those who upload vulgar and profane comments on their own respective social media accounts. This last type of trolling is a dangerous territory, for there is no clear line between “freedom of expression of individual views” and “outright harassment”. It its more dangerous forms, trolling can take the shape of stalking with potential risks including persistent threat to one’s life. Although there are proper police and law machineries to deal with such miscreants, it is a sad reality that trolling can never be completely eradicated.

Trolls exist due to a number of reasons. It is important to understand the “why” of their actions. It needs to be understood that just because they post a few detrimental words online, they do not automatically become a bad or evil person. If one were to meet their troll in real life they might find the troll to be a “normal” human being going about their lives. They may even be a family person. They may not be as outspoken as their internet profiles. They may also be agreeable and understanding of opposing views in a face-to-face conversation. Once we understand this, it becomes all the more important for us to look at the reasons behind the actions of a troll.

Here are some of the common causes for the existence of trolls.

1. Peer influence: It is rightly said that we become influenced by those with whom we spend the most time with. We tend to imbibe the thoughts of those around us. We should guard our minds very closely and very carefully in these situations. Else, there is a chance that we end up becoming the people we despise.

2. Feelings of jealousy/ incompetency: Majority of the times a troll is someone who hasn’t achieved anything significant in his/ her life. By usual standards, they may be well-to-do and maybe better off than most. However, in a troll’s mind he/ she is just not enough or has enough. This feeling of incompetency takes the form of jealousy and ultimately, resentment. The troll knows what their fallacy is. Yet, instead of seeking help, they tend to redirect their anger at someone, anyone, who they think is faring better than themselves. It is a sad and pitiable state of affairs for the in the process of doing so, they are inviting more misery into their lives

3. Possessiveness: We worship our heroes. We worship our ideals. The issue with ideals is that we see ourselves as people who are not on that ideal curve while someone else seems to be treading the path of that curve effortlessly. When these “symbols of idealism” perform any act which is against the ideal, they get trolled. This is one of the reasons why celebrities are shamed, trolled and outright harassed for things such as the clothes they wear to their personal thoughts and opinions. This possessiveness has no origin. Its outcome can range from name calling and body shaming to the more dangerous variants of threating.

4. Feelings of control: A troll wants control over his/ her life. They want to know that they have some iota, some semblance of regulation in their existence. Calling someone out publicly while remaining anonymous is a disgusting act of cowardice which is often misunderstood for courage by the troll. Such acts are proof of the miserable and pitiable state that a troll’s mind is in.

How to deal with trolls?

For a troll, spewing hate while remaining hidden is a release. They have no one to actively guide them, no one to help them to redirect their energies in a particular direction. Their own ability to think and rationalize is low. This makes them impressionable irrespective of their age. They are not really in a zone to understand logic or rationale.

The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them. It is important for the trolled to preserve and protect their peace of mind. The trolling will never stop. Knowing when to respond is an important skill to have. In extreme cases, police and other branches of law can help. There is nothing like the push of judiciary to set things on the correct course.

A message to the trolls

Buddy, we pity you. We know that you are strength-less and toothless. We know you are powerless, And in case you haven’t realized it, nobody cares about you. You need help. If not for your sake, seek help for the sake of those around you.

Have you been a target of trolls? Let me know your experience and how you dealt with it.

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