Trolling the Trolls on Social Media

How I infiltrated the Trolls and Discovered their Secrets

Throughout the vast landscape of social media, one cannot escape encounters with trolls — those enigmatic figures who thrive on creating chaos and discord. Trolling has become a pervasive phenomenon, and understanding the motivations and purposes behind this online behavior is crucial.

So if you want to discover what a troll truly is, in social media terms, join me as I delve into their purpose, motivations, and the intriguing dynamics that form a peculiar community of internet mischief-makers.

Even better, learn how to spot a Troll and defeat them!

How did I find this treasure trove of information? I became one of course! I disguised myself as a Troll and walked straight into their clubhouse. It really was that easy.

Defining a Troll

The troll label gets thrown around a lot and it can land on people who are not actually trolls. Often you find people who simply disagree are called trolls. The troll name is often used as an insult to demean the person and their message in a weak attempt to avoid fruitful debate. It’s the easy way out for those not wishing to have their own belief system damaged.

There are of course actual Trolls and identifying them in the crowd of opinion sharers can be a challenge!

So what is a troll? A troll is an individual who engages in deliberately provocative, disruptive, or inflammatory behavior with the intention of eliciting emotional responses from others. Trolls often employ various tactics, ranging from spreading false information and engaging in offensive language to purposefully instigating arguments and conflicts within online communities.

This all sounds fairly straightforward until you realise how it can be difficult to tell the difference between actual trolls and those passionately arguing a point. The true trolls take full advantage of this and there is a lot more to understand.

Braving the Swamps to Enter the Grotto

It all started when my patience with online trolls hit rock bottom. The constant barrage of snarky comments and inflammatory posts became too much to handle. I couldn’t take it any longer. Instead of losing my cool, I decided to take a plunge into the mysterious world of trolls, armed with nothing but my curiosity and a fake online identity — meet SirSnarkalot.

“Creating the persona was an art in itself, or so I thought”

SirSnarkalot, the master of sarcasm and purveyor of witty comebacks, was born. Armed with a keyboard and a wicked sense of humor, I embarked on a mission to infiltrate the secret society of trolls.

The first step was to find the right community. After some deep-dive research (and a few too many cups of coffee), I stumbled upon an underground forum where trolls congregated like mischievous gremlins. The entrance fee? A thick skin and a knack for dishing it out as good as you got.

I introduced myself as a fellow troll in training, claiming naivety and being on a quest for the ultimate snarky enlightenment.

“My intention was of course to gain their trust hence my, ahem, honesty.”

The initiation process was like a bizarre online obstacle course — meme wars, insult throwdowns, and a virtual scavenger hunt for the most obscure pop culture references. Little did they know, SirSnarkalot was acing every challenge with a smirk and a keystroke.

As I delved deeper into the troll community, I discovered a surprising truth — trolls aren’t a monolithic group of evil masterminds plotting the downfall of the internet. They’re as diverse as a bag of mixed nuts. Some trolled for the sheer thrill of chaos, while others sought attention or had a twisted sense of humor.

Interestingly, there was a sense of camaraderie among them. It was like stumbling upon a bizarre support group for mischief-makers. They exchanged tips on crafting the perfect insult, debated the nuances of meme culture, and even had a leaderboard for the most epic trolls of the month. It was a peculiar mix of digital rebellion and a twisted form of bonding.

In my undercover escapades, I learned that the anonymity of the online world was a double-edged sword for trolls. It shielded them from consequences but also fueled their insatiable desire for attention. Behind the screens, they were real people with real emotions, albeit hidden beneath layers of snark and cynicism.

Advice I obtained from the Troll Community:

• Change your name to one that sounds less obvious and more cool
• Trolling is about keeping people talking for as long as possible. So the insults and disagreement has to be such that it both annoys people while encouraging them to stay engaged in conversation.
• Short strong insults are no good. Telling someone to F*** off is the quick way to end the conversation and makes for a failed troll. Unless of course that is the response received by the troll in which case that’s a bonus!
• Beware of getting banned. Balancing insults and disagreement while staying within the social media policy guidelines is an art form.
• Have more than one account. If conversation gets stale introduce your second account to stimulate the argument.
• Delete all your posts once the conversation ends completely. This makes it less likely to be banned when the social media bots check your chats.

I couldn’t tell if many of them were suspicious of my chat or were just naturally being trolls but they were certainly chatty!

Armed with my newfound knowledge, I bid farewell to the troll den, leaving SirSnarkalot to roam the digital wilderness. My journey had revealed the humanity behind the trolling façade, and as I re-entered the realm of sane internet users, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

In a warped way I found some respect for the trolls. The part I respected was in their art for manipulating conversation. While this is obviously not a good act to practise it did demonstrate a skill for language and communication. Assuming you’re any good at it of course.
And very few Trolls are any good.

Having such an ability is an admired quality in debate and many other aspects of public speaking. The art of persuasion and public speaking sells Millions of books each year. The means by which trolls use these skills are most certainly to be frowned upon

Purpose and Motivation

Trolling is not something to be respected. It’s a choice between good and evil. With such communicative skills why would anyone choose to be evil. Well the answer, they said…. “because it was fun”.

Trolls do get a kick out of riling people up the wrong way. They get off on it in a twisted act not so dissimilar to the Joker inflicting pain on Batman. This is the part I struggle to understand but often you find behind the Troll mask lurks some pyschological issues that need addressing.

Enquiring further I discovered how many I spoke to were single men, many living in less favourable and challenging cultures than those in the UK. While some claim to be successful engineers and corporate stars they all seemed to have a lonely life. Whether you feel sorry for them or not is up to you.

The motivations behind trolling are diverse and complex. Some trolls seek attention and a sense of power derived from the reactions they provoke.

Others may be motivated by boredom, a desire to alleviate their own frustrations, or simply the thrill of causing disruption. In some cases, trolls may hold ideological or political motives, using trolling as a means to advance their agendas or ideologies but these are few and far between.

The Competitive Nature of Trolling

Interestingly, trolling has evolved into a peculiar online subculture with a competitive edge. Within the trolling community, individuals strive to outdo one another in terms of creating more outrageous content, generating more significant reactions, or achieving a higher level of notoriety.

This competitive nature can be likened to a virtual sport where trolls measure their success by the extent of chaos and outrage they can incite.

In some cases, trolls form alliances or loosely knit groups, sharing strategies and techniques to refine their trolling skills. These online communities can be transient, with members constantly seeking new ways to innovate and push the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable within the digital realm.

Counteracting Trolling: A Community Effort

Addressing the issue of trolling requires a collective effort from online communities, platform administrators, and users. Implementing and enforcing community guidelines, as well as fostering a culture of respect and constructive dialogue, can go a long way in deterring trolling behavior.

If you’re reporting someone as a troll be sure your motives are true and you’re not just reporting someone who you found disagreeable. There is a subtle difference and we don’t want to encourage echo chambers and censorship.

Platforms should invest in technological solutions, such as content moderation algorithms, to identify and neutralize trolling activities promptly.

However the ability for AI to stay ahead of Human Intelligence is akin to staying ahead of a virus. Unlikely and predominantly yielding a reactionary response.

Educating users about recognizing and ignoring trolls can help minimize the impact of their disruptive behavior. By refusing to engage with trolls, users can reduce the satisfaction trolls derive from their actions, potentially discouraging them from continuing their disruptive activities.

So, the next time you encounter a troll, remember — behind the inflammatory comment might be someone seeking a momentary escape or a virtual adrenaline rush. It’s a wild world out there, but a little humor and understanding can go a long way in navigating the troll-infested waters of the internet.

Trolling is a multifaceted phenomenon that has become an integral part of the online experience. Understanding the motivations and competitive dynamics within the trolling community is crucial for devising effective strategies to counteract their impact.

As social media continues to evolve, combating trolling requires a collaborative effort to foster a digital environment where healthy discourse can thrive, free from the disruptive influence of those seeking to sow discord.