Being trolled, or the act of trolling, is something we all have to deal with increasingly as the internet becomes more social.
In simple terms, trolling is when someone comments or responds to something you post, usually in a confrontational way that is designed to garner a strong, emotional reaction. Although many people use the term in contexts where a sense of humor is appreciated, the truth is that internet trolling can get pretty nasty and isn't always a laughing matter.
The Urban Dictionary has a bunch of definitions under the term "trolling," but the first one that pops up seems to define it as simply as possible. So, according to the Urban Dictionary's top-rated definition for "trolling," it can be defined as:
"the deliberate act, (by a Troll -noun or adjective), of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument."
Wikipedia defines it as:
"a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses and normalizing tangential discussion, whether for the troll's amusement or a specific gain."
Those who aren't quite as familiar with the internet slang definition of "troll" or "trolling" might automatically think of the mythical creature from Scandinavian folklore. The mythological troll is known to be an ugly, dirty, angry creature that lives in dark places, like caves or underneath bridges, waiting to snatch up anything that passed by for a quick meal.
The internet troll is a modern version of the mythological version. They hide behind their computer screens, and actively go out of their way to cause trouble on the internet. Like the mythological troll, the internet troll is angry and disruptive in every possible way - often for no real reason at all.
You can find trolls lurking around almost every corner of the social web. Here are some specific places that are well known to attract trolls.
Big brands on Facebook, celebrities on X (formerly Twitter) and Tumblr teens with lots of followers face trolling every day. Unfortunately, as the web becomes more social and people can access social sites wherever they are from their smartphones, trolling (and even cyberbullying) will continue to be a problem.
Every internet troll has a different backstory and therefore different reasons for feeling the need to troll a community or an individual on the internet. They may feel depressed, attention-starved, angry, sad, jealous, narcissistic or some other emotion they may not be entirely conscious of that's influencing their online behavior.
What makes trolling so easy is that anyone can do it, and it can be done from a safe, isolated place as opposed to interacting with others in person. Trolls can hide behind their shiny computers, screen names and avatars when they go out trolling for trouble, and after they're all done, they can carry on with their real lives without facing any real consequences. Trolling makes a lot of cowardly people feel stronger.
If a troll tries to provoke you, just ignore them. They're not worth your time or emotional distress. Try not to take anything personally and remind yourself that their bad behavior does not change who you are.
Remember that a person who seems like a troll is actually the one suffering in some way and is trying to distract themselves and make themselves feel better by taking it out on you. If you can, try to have a good laugh and think about how sad it is that people actually feel the need to insult complete strangers on the internet.
If you're feeling strong enough, you might even consider responding to them with kindness by complimenting something about them (such as their profile picture, their username, etc). This is the last thing they'll expect from you, and while you'll have to risk being trolled again, there's always a chance that your unexpected kindness could move them in a way that changes their behavior for the better.
FAQIt's very common. One survey indicates that 41 percent of U.S. adults have experienced online harassment. The survey also reports that 66 percent of those surveyed observed trolling behavior toward others.
You can unfollow or mute users or block X users altogether. The X Safety Mode feature is another tool you might be able to use. If this tool is available to you fromPrivacy and safetysettings, you can temporarily automatically block a user for posting harassing tweets.