What is Internet Trolling and How to deal with it?

The Internet has provided us with numerous advantages, various social media platforms have been a place of social interaction across the globe. But with the freedom of expression and a chance to interact with the whole world at a time, something which is often missed out is social laws and ethics. Social ethics are the general set of human values which every human has to follow, whether online or offline. Or we can say that the set of rules one must abide while using any social media platform are known as social ethics and laws. Internet troll is a good example of social laws and ethics miss out. So, in this article, we will discuss what is internet trolls? How they harm someone’s life, How to deal with them etc.

Internet Trolls

The comments or posts which degrade or demean any other user or people or their content are called Trolls. These are generally done in order to show a negative response to any person or their posts. But at times people forget the general ethics while using the internet and use non-humble words and unexpectable vocabulary or media, in such cases trolls are a real problem.

Trolls can be in the form of hate direct messages, posts, or comments. Their way of stating things is suppressive and oppressing, and trolls are visible on all social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc, their main target is always the people with large numbers of followers, may it be celebrities or influencers. Internet trolls not only demean their persona but also make an impact on their social image, sometimes people assume an image of a person based on his trolls. Various shows on Indian television and news channels have been also broadcasted just in order to spread awareness about trolling because it can be harmful to the people using the social media platform. 

Now the next question that arises in the mind is who trolls and Why? So the answer to these questions is anyone on the internet can troll any person or their content. Even the good, well-mannered person(in real life) can troll on the internet. The main purposes of trolls are to spread negativity or for fun or to humiliate someone.

Sign that someone is trolling

To understand that someone is trolling, we must first understand the difference between a normal disagreement and a troll comment. When a person shows normal disagreement, they generally address the issue and try to have an effective conversation rather than using something unethical against that person. Generally, trolls use foul linguistic behavior, and they try to demean the person rather than addressing the problem. This problem is generally visible in the case of celebrities, their regular pictures are at times filled with numerous hate comments and needless impolite stuff. Another difference between disagreement makers and trolls is that the trolls don’t want a solution or a reply, they just do it to feed their own ego, and henceforth there is no point in discussing it, but if someone wants to disagree on a point they will impatiently wait for a discussion and would state facts. If any of the listed actions match, then it is clear that the person is trying to be a troll. 

How to deal with trolls?

The best way of dealing with trolls is to block, report, and ignore. Almost all social media platforms nowadays have the facility of blocking and reporting someone, do not interact with them this would give them the attention they desire, just ignore and block that is the easiest way of dealing with trolls.

One must be aware of his acts on all such platforms and should also stand against hate comments and trolls, if society gets aware of these trolls, it would be easy to eradicate them and make the world a better place.

Negative impact of trolling

Trolling always leaves a negative impact. It takes away their (the person who gets trolled)mental peace, people use social media to kill their extra time, but trolling kills their comfort and puts them in self-doubt. Mostly, the ones who are too conscious about their social image, are the ones who get harassed easily by the trolls. Many cases of depression and social anxieties have been reported, whose sole cause was trolling. Trolling is very different from posting one’s opinion, therefore one must understand that one comment of hate can transform a happy person into a patient of depression and anxiety. Or we can say that when the trolls don’t obey the general ethics and laws they can be real harm, some of them are listed below:

• Wrong manipulation: Sometimes wrong agendas are served, and the masses are manipulated by trolls.
• Degradation of self-confidence and self-doubt: When one is constantly trolled, he/she gets self-doubt and self-confidence is lost. Sometimes the fear of getting trolled also stops people from showing their talents.
• Adverse effect on mental health: The one who gets trolled often feels left alone, and this has an effect on their mental peace.
• Affect on the young Generation: The young generation uses most of the platforms and this can also misguide them.