Trolling, do you know what this is about?
According to cybersmart.gov.au it is "when a user intentionally causes distress by posting inflammatory comments on a public forum"
You may have heard about celebrities who use twitter in particular being targets of Trolls. And unfortunately some have been badly affected by the constant barrage of abuse, even to the point of suicide. It is alarming and sad that many people find great amusement out of hurting people this way. Often trolls will target Facebook sites set up as memorial sites for people; their distasteful and totally inappropriate comments affect the family and friends and destroy a sense of respect and reverence for the person.
Please read the following links this week to find out more about trolling.
A good explanation about what trolling is can be found at http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Teens/How%20do%20I%20deal%20with/Trolling.aspx
A compelling article about Trolling which I would like you to read is at http://www.news.com.au/technology/it-just-makes-me-happy-when-i-can-make-someone-angry-a-special-investigation-into-the-dark-world-of-trolling/story-e6frfro0-1226278282934
There are a couple of additional links within this article which are worth reading too.
AH- Wow some people can just be horrible, but not all trolls are bad apparently. Sure there are trolls whose main purpose is to hurt or anger people then there are ones that have a different point of view and want you to know it. Also trolls created lolcatz, L.O.L and lulz and different memes on the internet which most of us have had a chuckle at.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really know what this was until reading these articles. It is something we all have to be aware of, especially as we provide internet access to the general public. ab
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise Memes were created by trolls. Interesting the theory that trolling is related to Mental Health issues, why not state the obvious lol....Some people need to think about the consequences of how one negative sentence could make life miserable for someone else. Article somewhat disturbing. NS
ReplyDeleteI don't for the life of me understand what people get out of this, I guess its the equivalent of the real life malicious gossip and as you do in reality you need to block them out and not give them any fuel. SH
ReplyDeleteI didn't know alot about trolling and found the article quite disturbing. I struggle to understand how people can do these sorts of things to others. Given the opportunity, I wonder how many of these trolls would actually say such things face to face? It makes thing easier for trolls being able to hide behind anonymity. As some of these trolls have admitted they are "scared of being found out." The information provided on how to deal with trolling (ignore, block, report, talk to others and get support) is essential to know. A sobering topic this week. WW
ReplyDeleteIt's very disturbing to think that there are so many people out there who derive pleasure from making hurtful comments on the internet. Its also very sad, and very scary to think that there is such a lack of empathy for others. I thought it was very interesting that so many of these trolls have themselves been victims of bullying in the past and that vandalising memorial websites etc. allows them to feel more powerful. I was pleased to read that there are ways of limiting the impact of trolls and the damage they can do but wouldn't it be great if people could just air their views in a positive way, instead of spoiling it for others. LW
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