'Trolling'

[East]

Sometimes I think I understand what trolling is...most of the time I really don't even know exactly what it means except when someone comes to a site to just fight.

The subtle trolling is the stuff that can get really out of hand, because sometimes they do it so well that there's no way to prove that the person is trolling. It's like gaslighting. They pretend to be naive, innocent, or genuine, and make little passive-aggressive comments here and there to push peoples buttons and instigate others' anger. Then, when someone does call them out, they can easily play dumb and say things like "whoa buddy, calm down! I was just trying to have a conversation. I wasn't looking for trouble!" and make the other guy look like the aggressor.

If this is trolling then I am probably a troll myself because truthfully I am very direct in the real world (vs cyber world) and when someone needs help from me or asks for advice...and they do alot...I like to give them something they can use so I tell them things that are hard to hear because that is often what it takes to help someone in my opinion.

I have tried that a few times on the Internet ....and it would come off exactly as you describe it. If telling someone the truth is pushing their buttons then I am guilty...had no idea that was trolling. Is that just your opinion or is this common knowledge?

[gilhooly]

I assume everyone knows this, more homophobes read this site than homosexuals.

Also, Congress requires the monitoring of all gay sites by the FBI.

Anyone who has posted on this site came "out" to the FBI.

Title 18 has not been repealed. It is a felony to view a male engage in sexual activity if he is under 18.

Most homophobes in America believe it is important to know thy enemy.

[zeon]

Hello,
Regardles whether its bullying or trolling to be if its intent on causing alarm distress or harassment that is bullying... As adults we should bloody know better than to behave like wild animals fighting over a bit of water.. If someone decides to behave in a manner deemed un acceptable then so be it take consiquences i say

kindest regards

zeon x

[fredv3b]

If telling someone the truth is pushing their buttons then I am guilty...had no idea that was trolling.

In which case I am guilty too.


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[Inchante]

It doesn't seem like there is a clear definition of what Trolling is. The other day, I had a member who shall remain nameless follow me from one thread to another just to point out something I misspoke or was not as clear on, because he didn't like my opinion in another thread. There is a certain degree of harassment in that.

But is that Trolling?

Does stating your opinion, that you disagree with a person indicate that you are a Troll? I don't think it should. So what is the delineation between asserting your opinion honestly and courteously and and being a troll?

[Genersis]

I don't see why trolling should be a criminal offence.
Unless they extract the anonymity from the internet, it's something we are stuck with.(And i personally believe the internet's anonymity is it's most important aspect)

It's like being legally punished for insulting a dead person in front of their family.
It's rude, they can be ignored of made to leave(Net equivalent would be banning.)
But arresting them?!

Seems a little over the top to me.
Maybe if it was constant harassment then maybe.

Perhaps i am in the minority on this?:redface:

[Beaux]

I assume everyone knows this, more homophobes read this site than homosexuals.

Also, Congress requires the monitoring of all gay sites by the FBI.

Anyone who has posted on this site came "out" to the FBI.

Title 18 has not been repealed. It is a felony to view a male engage in sexual activity if he is under 18.

Most homophobes in America believe it is important to know thy enemy.

What? Ugh, Gilhooly, I honestly dont know where you get this stuff. I KNOW for a fact that the FBI knows that I am gay, because my soon-to-be husband (getting married in NY this December! woot woot!) is openly gay and works for the Department of Defense. I know that the DOD is aware of our sexual preference because I am on his insurance as his spouse (via a federal mandate that ensures same sex couples spousal benefits as of last year). I realize that you seem to believe that we are all just waiting to be lead off to the gas chambers but PLZ! your continued negetive (and frankly, WIERD) attitude makes you look as crazy as the tea-baggers.

P.S. Anyone attempting to view ANYONE under the age of 18 (male or female) having sex needs to be charged with a felony.

[CellarDweller]

I don't believe that someone stating an opinion that goes against what others is saying is "trolling".

I believe that trolling is attempting to "stir the pot" with a group of people.

On another site that I mod, there is a thread about Jake Gyllenhaal. While he was in his relationship with Reese Witherspoon, there were some who though the relationship was fake.

There was one member in particular who would come to the thread and start posting awful things about Jake, how he was gay, how Reese was a beard, that Jake didn't deserve a career because he wasn't being truthful about himself, and on and on.

Normally, that's not "trolling" behavior....however, this person was not posting anywhere else on the forum, only going to this Jake thread to start trouble with other members. It got so toxic that the forum instituted a rule that members were no longer allowed to discuss Jake's sexuality.

Once this person didn't have that topic to discuss, they left the forum, never to be seen again.

[Pix]

I define trolling as trying to upset people because it makes the troll laugh. Rarely they can be quite clever (and I sometimes like the trolls who troll the trolls which serves to keep the trolled trolls busy and away from everyone else :biggrin but usually they come off as ignorant and pathetic, like little kids making faces in a manner of speaking. They often can't spell either (though I suppose it's possible that in a few cases they intentionally misspell their words to add to how annoying it is).

And some people just have poor social skills or an unpopular way of seeing things. I generally try not to hold it against them or mistake them for trolls even though they can be unintentionally offensive.

[bariuke]

If this is trolling then I am probably a troll myself because truthfully I am very direct in the real world (vs cyber world) and when someone needs help from me or asks for advice...and they do alot...I like to give them something they can use so I tell them things that are hard to hear because that is often what it takes to help someone in my opinion.

I have tried that a few times on the Internet ....and it would come off exactly as you describe it. If telling someone the truth is pushing their buttons then I am guilty...had no idea that was trolling. Is that just your opinion or is this common knowledge?

That's what makes this kind of trolling so bad, because it's hard to tell the difference between a troll and someone being genuine. If you try to help someone and it ends up pushing buttons, then that's not trolling; you're genuine. If you were to do it for the sole purpose of antagonizing someone, then it's trolling. The easiest way to tell the difference is that the trolls never get to a point, they like to prolong a fight/argument as long as possible.

some good real-life example of what I'm talking about would be characters like Borat or Bruno. While they are just for comedy and not really malicious, they pretend to be a real person with a real agenda or intent and attempt to get certain reactions out of people. Trolls are the same way, but it's easier to hide the fact that you are joking when people see nothing but text from you. Some trolling can be harmless; just little jokes and what not, but a lot of it is pretty malicious.