 | So, You Want to Learn About Trolls... |
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Recently I was asked to write an article on trolls for a group of board moderators on another website. I was very surprised that several of the people had little to no knowledge about trolls. It was suggested that I should make this information public in the hopes of helping others identify this threat. I would first like to note that in my experiences on the Web, and as a site host, I have learned that a majority of the people who surf the Internet, post on message boards and chat rooms, and generally befriend each other, are real, legitimate, true, and honest people. Because of the dangers out there, some people may be more reluctant to share information and therefore can appear suspicious, but they are certainly not deceitful or out to intentionally hurt others. There is a small group that are dishonest and deliberately target and attack others. The anonymous nature of internet life has allowed them to take advantage and downright hurt people. I am a true believer that the main defense against these individuals is education. I will also note that I don't claim to be an authority on this subject. As a site owner, I have done extensive research on this issue and therefore have had a lot of "hands on" experience dealing with trolls, giving me a significant amount of real life reference. I hope our readers will find this information helpful. I thought a troll was something from a Lord of the Rings book? The term troll comes from the word "trolling", not from the mythical green character; it means to drag a hook along a waterbed and hope you catch something. This is what these particular individuals do. They cast their bait--their stories, their drama, etc.--in the hopes someone will bite. They cause trouble on message boards, chat rooms, email groups, or other gathering places on the Web. How can I tell someone is a troll? You really can't, and that is usually the biggest problem. However, with time, you can learn certain indicators that can help identify a possible troll. I should note that one or two "odd" things does not mean someone is a troll. Truth is, some people have led unusual lives and sometimes life can be crazier than fiction. It is usually after an extended period, and after a significant number of "red flags", when you can truly suspect a troll. There are several types of trolls. Different people have different names for them, but you'll find their tactics are basically the same: Fake trolls -- These are people who are outright liars. They make up stories and fabricate a history so they can slip into a group and join them. They tend to surf the 'Net beforehand and gather pieces of real life stories of others, adding them to their own so they sound legitimate. They will do research on medical conditions so they can sound knowledgeable. You can usually see a pattern in these people. Their stories are often overly dramatic. They seem quick to share deeply personal information with strangers. When they talk about medical issues, it's almost textbook, like they are copying off a medical information sheet, or on the flip-side it is purely anecdotal with no references or proof to back it up. The "real" troll. -- This is a real person who is probably completely honest about who they are and their family status. However, they are very needy people and tend to dominate conversations. They embellish their lives, exaggerating real stories to get sympathy and to make people like or love them. They seem to one-up everyone, always having had a better/worse/scarier/happier experience. Real trolls may also be "mostly" true. Meaning, they may share their real name, email or home address, and other personal information as a way of authenticating themselves. But, they are a truly a combination of real and fake, in the sense they make up all the details of their lives (family status, medical condition, etc.) to slip into various groups. A sub-set of the real troll is what I call the "vague troll." They are real people, but just so happen to be troublemakers. They usually are the type who in high school were in cliques, talked about other people, and liked to cause trouble for the "ha ha" factor. While it is arguable that they are not true trolls, these people can hurt a group since they cause trouble and alienate certain members of a community. Destroyers -- The last type of troll really needs a totally different category. While their numbers represent a small fraction of the people on the Internet, this group is the most dangerous. They have one purpose, to break-up a site, group, etc. They start debates on controversial subjects for no other reason than to stir up trouble. They post hateful anonymous comments to cause confusion and upset between board members. They will flame a person (i.e. make a deliberate and personal attacking statement), or make generalized derogatory statements about a group, belief, practice, or other ideology. Don't be fooled, these people are not doing it because they have a need to express a belief or feeling; they use these deeply emotional issues to start arguments, "flame-wars", because they love to watch the chaos it causes. These people are troubled and have a need to hurt and destroy. A sub-set of the Destroyers is the "Hard Luck Case." Another very dangerous group, they are outright con-artists. They know that people are good natured and want to help each other. They will join a group and endear themselves to the members. At first, they vaguely mention their problems, but things inevitably get worse. Whatever the story is, ultimately the person ends up with a need and asking for help. Sometimes it's the single mother who can't afford her rent; she may not ask outright, but she is quick to take the offers of money. Or it could be a need for baby stuff. One woman on an internet group was supposedly too poor to buy her baby necessities. She didn't want money--she just needed a diaper pail, car seat, etc. She got them, lots of them, and was found turning around and selling them on eBay. Of course, the typical cons are out there too--investments and get-rich schemes. These individuals belong in the destroyer group because they only worry about their gain. They don't care if they destroy a board with their lies, as long as they can make a profit. And ultimately, these people can destroy a board, since people get gun-shy after these types of incidents and are less willing to trust anyone again. Regardless of what kind of troll you encounter, remember, they are dangerous. Even a person who is overly needy and constantly craves attention can be detrimental to a group if people start refraining from posting because they don't want to "start in" with that person. What are some of the "red flags" you talked about? Red flags are merely behavior that draws suspicion. Once again, I would advise that a member first be given the benefit of the doubt. As mentioned before, the truth is that we live in a hard world and there are people who have suffered and had very difficult lives. There are actual people who, through the power of prayer or positive thought, have obtained healings of medical conditions or had phenomenal things happen to help them in their lives. Some people have more of a need to share and talk about their problems as a way of dealing with them, while others may need to stay secretive about the details of their life to feel comfortable. Keeping that in mind, here are some common tactics trolls use: Confusion: One of the main ways to do this is to post anonymously. The troll will say something, not revealing who they are, and will cause suspicion and fear among a group. People will begin to wonder if one of their trusted members could be the anonymous poster, and it can seed great doubt. Many times these people are lurkers (individuals who visit a board and never post, thus not making their presence known), and thus they are invisible until they attack, making it difficult to safeguard against them. Another way trolls accomplish confusion is to post using a name similar to an existing member of a group. For example: Christine is a respected member, but suddenly a Christne appears (notice one letter off). When the troll posts, people may not immediately realize it is not the trusted member and derogatory comments can be erroneously attributed to the real person. Inconsistency: Once someone has told so many fabrications, it is difficult to keep track of their lies. You will often find that these peoples have inconsistencies, contradictions, and sometimes gaping holes in their stories. Do remember that typing in an online forum is not an exact science, especially when posting quickly or in a fast moving chat. People make typos and mistakes--and the truth is sometimes people can forget, or rather misquote their children's ages or another minor detail of their life. I myself am guilty of calling one child by another child's name, and when online certain similar lapses can happen. The difference is, with trolls you will find that the inconsistencies go far beyond that. Their children's names may change, or one week they may be the father of 3 and the next a father of 6. They may say they are in one profession, then the next week say they are in a completely different field. Significant details of their life differ from post to post. Many times details of their lives are clearly impossible. One woman on a message board claimed to have a terrible illness, which other members of the group later learned was fatal--however the woman continued to post for well beyond a period in which a person could have survived such a disease. Emotional Warfare: This is one of the most dangerous weapons of a troll. They realize that people are good natured and they are quick to use guilt, sadness, and anger against them. They will find someone else who has similar life experiences as they purport and try to align with them. If you confront them, they will display deep sadness, claiming they are being falsely accused and devastated. They will use guilt tactics. They oftentimes turn the situation around, saying how victimized they feel, when the truth is they have continually victimized your group. Usually when sadness, guilt, and other manipulations do not work, their emotions turn to anger. They state they are angry being charged unjustly. While it is normal for a person to exhibit such emotions when their character is challenged, in the instance of a troll you must detach yourself long enough to look at the facts. A few other notable traits of a troll: In some instances, in particular when the troll is a trusted member of a community, you will find that the person has an unusual interest in trolls and helping the staff hunt them out. They seem overly intolerant of trolls as a way of smokescreening their own activities. They are curious, and want to know what information members and staff have about suspected trolls, sometimes even inquiring to site owners and board moderators about security and tracking measures. I liken this to a perpertrator in a crime investigation; they oftentimes offer to assist in the investigation, seemingly being very helpful, asking a lot of "thoughtful" questions, but it is merely a self-serving tactic to find out if the police suspect them and what evidence they might have. Why do trolls do this? This is a question that is not easily answered. Obviously, the con artists are looking to profit from it. But other trolls are more curious. Their reasons are as vast and different as the human psyche. Some lead boring lives and may find enjoyment in playing out the stories they have created. Some suffer from severe depression or other conditions, and have a need to cause trouble to make themselves feel better. Low self-esteem causes many people to hate their lives or feel they are not exciting enough to be liked or loved, so they fabricate stories, conditions, or personalities so that others will pay attention to them and feed that basic psychological need to have people care about them. Some trolls are deeply disturbed, filled with hate and resentment. They destroy to exhibit power and manipulate others. Some feel they have no control over their own lives, and it gives them pleasure to feel they have control over others. Others actually identify with their online character and feel it more real than themselves, essentially living in a fantasy world. No one can be sure why a particular troll does what he/she does, which is what makes this situation both frustrating and very sad. It should be noted that a fair amount of trolls have been discovered to be teenagers. Sometimes out of boredom, or the juvenile need to stir up trouble, these kids come out. They have fun passing themselves off as adults and causing problems. Teens, however, are usually easier to detect since their immaturity can be very apparent at times, and their presence on the web will show patterns, like never posting during school hours, more during school breaks, etc. One thing that should be noted, most trolls get extreme pleasure in the mere fact they are able to pull off their "scam." When a person fabricates a character and passes them off in a group setting, they feel smart and clever. In fact, some trolls will even purposely throw inconsistencies into the fray, as a way of pushing their luck. Simply getting away with the ruse is not enough after a while, they have to find out how much more they can get away with before getting caught. In some instances, you will find that a troll wants to get caught, since they may be bored with the current charade and want to move on to another one. How do you deal with a troll? The one thing that trolls all have in common is that they want attention. They want people to like them, fear them, revere them, post to them. They want to monopolize a group. You'll often find when their regular posts don't get that much attention, they keep upping their stories, make the drama more dramatic so people will pay attention to them. Sometimes they just resort to getting mean and attacking. Anything to get a rise. That said, the key phrase and absolute best advice is "don't feed the trolls." The thing that a troll hates the most is to be ignored. They have to create conflict and get attention in order to fill that psychological need. If they are ignored...if they can't cause trouble...if they do not get attention, it's no fun for them and they usually move on elsewhere. In closing, I would like to reiterate that most people on the Internet are legitimate. As a site owner, I have found myself suspicious of certain individuals, only to later learn and be reassured they were who they claimed to be. Truth is, most people are real and sincere. Please don't let the following information scare you or make you leery of joining an Internet group. Trolling is a form of terrorism, a form of control. As with fighting any kind of terrorism, we cannot give in to our fears. Trolls get delight in causing panic and distress in people. By continuing to post, interact, and go on with our lives, we deprive these individuals of their power. Our best defense is to ignore them and continue on as we normally would. 2004 - Lotsofkids.com This article may be reproduced and distributed in print form for informational purposes. Reproductions must contain the author name and copyright. |
