The anonymity that the internet provides has led to the unfortunate increase in the number of users who abuse it. The NY Times talked about the online disinhibition effect, which is a phenomenon where people often change their behavior online in radical ways. The combination of anonymity and disinhibition results in people becoming trolls: "someone who intentionally disrupts online communities" according to Mattathias Schwartz of the NY Times.Trolls feel so comfortable writing their annoying posts because they know there are almost no consequences for their actions. Schwartz wrote that, "In order to prosecute, investigators must subpoena sites and Internet service providers to learn the original author’s IP address, and from there, his legal identity. Local police departments generally don’t have the means to follow this digital trail, and federal investigators have their hands full with spam, terrorism, fraud and child pornography." Knowing that officers are tied up with greater fish to fry, people are comfortable posting inflammatory comments without fear.
This is the downside of being anonymous online. There are, however, some advantages to being anonymous when surfing the web. People with potentially embarrassing or personal questions regarding a variety of topics, ranging from legal advice to STDs and pregnancy, would often times like their identities on a message board to remain a secret. These instances are harmless and allow users to ask important questions freely without fear of public exposure and judgment.
So, how do we combat trolls and their devious ways? Go back to an old motherly solution that we've heard since childhood: "Ignore them." Trolls feed off of people responding to their posts. I'm a frequent reader of Engadget and on every single post related to cell phones, a troll rears his or her ugly head. If it's a post about the iPhone, an Android fanboy has to make a comment about "antennagate." If it's a post about an Android phone, a Windows Phone 7 lover cries about fragmentation. A post about Windows Phone 7? Well, it's just too easy to pick on them. Only when people respond to their ignorant remarks do they get their "lulz" because they know they got in someone's head. As annoying as it is, the best solution is to close your eyes, scroll down, and pretend you never saw it.
We just learned about conformity and social norms in my Social Psychology class and it's interesting to see how they can be applied to the concept of trolling on the Internet. You mentioned the Disinhibition Effect in which people change their behaviors while on the Internet because of the anonymity of it. It's obvious that Trolls have created their own subculture, as Schwartz mentioned, with its own set of social norms, or guidelines for appropriate behavior for their group. From a Trolls perspective, we are the outcasts that go against what they consider to be the right way to behave so "trolling" is there way of trying to get us back in line. Just an idea!
ReplyDelete"As annoying as it is, the best solution is to close your eyes, scroll down, and pretend you never saw it."
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, sometimes the best course of action is to "not feed the trolls."
@Jamie It's funny you say that because when writing this I actually was thinking about those concepts after listening to my Social Psych lectures this week!
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