Bridging over the Trolls

Is trolling really a phenomenon produced by the web? I think not. Take A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift. While satirical in nature, he obviously meant for his work to be taken seriously in a way other than the face value of his rhetoric. It's not a perfect example, but it hits on something much larger- what some trolling tries to accomplish.

As seen in the NY Time article by Mattathias Schwartz, some of the more infamous trolls aren't acting solely on the premise of maximum lulz, but to stir up controversy, push the boundaries of users' capabilities online, and force us into thinking about these digital boundaries in terms that may or may not be equatable to those we create in our physical world. Antagonistic yes, but they're admittedly acting in a moral and legal gray area, and are a great case study on how the public reacts to what they read on the internet.

“It should be even more so with anonymous comments. They shouldn’t start off with a credibility rating of, say, 0. It should be more like negative-30.”--Dan Gillmor

So how can we determine when we're being deceived online? Well, everybody needs to fully take the position of the skeptic if we want to be safe. The problem with falling into trolling rests not with the one trolling, but his victims. They are the ones who believe whatever ludicrous statements the troll makes, who become defensive at unwarranted attacks from anonymous people, and usually lash out in anger (much to the audience's amusement) back at the troll themselves. As seen in A Rape in Cyberspace, we all have some sort of emotional investment in our online selves and activities.

The problem is that we can never be certain if we are being deceived online unless we are talking with somebody we already trust or can verify. This is exactly why I endorse the skeptical approach, if I have no way of knowing who you are besides a potential username which you provide to me, then it would be most wise to take what's said with a couple grains of salt. Like Dan Gillmor says in the above quote, we need credibility that starts at a "-30" when reading the unfiltered comments and suggestions of anonymous users. We wouldn't take dosage advice for our post-operation medication from anonymous sources online, so why would we take these people seriously in other areas?

So what measures do we take to deal with trolling? Wisen up to them. Recognize their games, attitudes, and how they work while remaining diligent on everything you read online. They can't fool you if you think real hard before you act.