Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Habits




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Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Habits

Postby Prozac » Fri Nov 04, 2022 9:43 am

    

(The backdrop is why this thread was written. In Missosology when someone dissent or have a strong disagreement, especially
with what people in authority would think or what MAJORITY thinks, people always come to the conclusion that there is a troll
in our midst. Not necessarily though.

Disagreement and disrespect are two different things. If you disagree with the idea, it does not usually mean that you are
disrespectful or that you are a troll. You can disagree with someone without showing disrespect. You can disagree with the
idea politely. The role of the thumb is DONT ASSUME SOMEBODY IS A TROLL JUST BECAUSE HE disagrees WITH YOU.

To see if you are being trolled there are several ways of identifying them)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They're here. The trolls have landed and they have abandoned isolated rocks and caves to finally settle down on the internet 24-7.
Unlike the Norwegian trolls in Norse mythology, online trolls exist, they are real ... and to some doubting Thomases who care less
about their presence ... be wary! Dealing with them is not a piece of cake.

Who are online trolls? Internet trolls are an online bully who deliberately tries to offend, cause trouble, or directly attack people
by posting derogatory comments on Facebook posts, blogs, Youtube videos, forums, and other social media such as Twitter and
Instagram. Their posts are inflammatory, incendiary, and demagogic, with the intent of arousing readers to display intense
emotional responses and manipulate others' perceptions.

He is an online jerk and the more people they fire up and peeve, the better he feels. It is never a fun experience dealing with
them because they feel immense amusement especially when victims are on the verge of tears. They bloom and flourish with
mockery and derision and they thrive with taunting and ridicule.

What are the red flags signs that your forum or thread is troll infested and how do you see a troll when you see one?

1. Troll posts are superfluous, provocative, derogatory, and gratuitous that are hell-bent to stir trouble and get reactions from
other people.

2. They take pleasure when they annoyed someone. The more ... the merrier. They view their posts as "harmless fun" but they
upset people.

3. They use anonymous or throw-away accounts to provide anonymity and the freedom to communicate with impunity.

4. They make outrageous or questionable claims. They often leave traces of hateful comments. Even their comments that are
meant to be funny can really hurt.

5. They are relentless and annoyingly redundant and they won't let the topic go. They are the internet's Energizer Bunny. They
keep on going .... and going ... and going.

6. Trolls don't actually believe in what they say and what they are posting. They just want to cause a little or big mayhem as the
case may be. And you can't beat them with logic and facts. Appeal to reason is futile and pointless.

7. They are blind and deaf to evidence and are notorious for ignoring truth and factual events. They are spin doctors non-pareil
and they can twist a crooked narrative straight and make it believable.

8. They have default avatars and always hide their identity. They will never give information about themselves. They go with aliases
and monickers and when asked which country they came from and the response was Earth.

9. They are bored and hate being ignored, that's why they are always on the prowl looking for potential victims. And when they see
you frustrated, they asked you, "Are you, mad bro?" that makes you mad even more.

10. Trolls wreak havoc and are in it for chaos. They love to call people names with a tone that is condescending. Unfortunately, name
-calling often ends up to stereotyping and giving others a bad label.

11. Trolls don't have a middle ground. They don't use the word "sometimes". Being a sucker to exaggerate it is either "Always" and Never"
to them.

12. Trolls want to be different. In a thread of 98% naysayers, he comes in barging singing a different refrain to negate the opinions of
everybody.

13. Trolls lure people into silly meaningless discussions and debates. They blossom the brightest on others' anger, frustration, and their
annoyance.

13. Dark triad personality traits like narcissism, psychopathy Machiavellianism (cunning, scheming, and deceptive), and schadenfreude
(a person who derives pleasure from another's misfortune) were more likely to demonstrate trolling.

So what happens to you when somebody comes from nowhere and shades the opinion you shared and imparts their razor-edged mental
sharpness on you? And it is not just their keen intelligence and inventiveness that has thrown you aback ... they have opinions that popped
your balloon ... in a here-we-go, kick-in-your-balls fashion.

Your initial response was utter disbelief. Then denial set in. In your mind, you ask yourself how can these thread crashers be so offensive
and impolite? They come uninvited and they give you unsolicited advice for free. And as your anger comes raging you thought of giving them
a piece of your mind: "Did I even ask your opinion?"

Too bad what seemed like the Russia-Ukraine war in your mind was just a musing. The smart-alecky response you thought that will freeze
the tongue of these online intruders never materializes because your Mom raised you to be polite, prim, and proper. Nothing came out of
your lips and that punch to the stomach retort that you prepared was playing only in your mind and you wonder how your mouth was zipped.

This doesn't have to be like this all the time. I don't want you to lose your sleep over this, but there are ways to stop letting these trolls guide
you and manipulate you. And you can do this by trying these tips.

1. Stop feeding the trolls. Let them starve. And don't give them water either. Simply put, trolls want to see your emotional outbursts online.
Responding to them is like allowing them to put more salt in your wound. If you don't reply ... they will tire themselves waiting and they will
eventually move on ... and look for their next target.

2. Go with what is right. Don't get sucked into a troll's sharp-witted but reckless opinion no matter how good it sounds on paper. They are convinc-
ing all right, but your life is not to follow some stranger's standards. Know more about yourself and make your own set of standards.

3. Humor them. Trolls usually are not adept and savvy in responding to humor. Remember they are hanging on the internet to irritate you not
elicit your loudest guffaws. Laughter is the troll's Achilles heel.

4. Ignore them pronto. This can be done in several ways. Block them. Report them. Move out of that thread and browse another site ... or just
simply sign out ... or shut down.

5. Take a screenshot of your debates. When the going gets tough ... emotions are high. Having a print of the conversation will cover you just in
case the troll decided to delete or edit once he senses trouble is brewing.

6. Admit when you are wrong. And then move on. Don't engage too much and over-explain yourself because they will never stop rubbing that
mistake in your face. Honesty is the best policy.

7. Call out the behavior. Other well-intentioned people will suggest ignoring them because that is the easiest thing to do. Others will suggest
"Don't reply." But sometimes ignoring and not responding has its own drawback. It can give the trolls the weight and more muscle to silence you.

8. Say what you have to say and then move on. Other members watching on the sideline may even come to your rescue. Saying your piece some-
times set the standard and clearly show the demarcation line between what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Sometimes it brings out the
truth when the troll has been spewing lies.

9. Protect yourself and become a strong moderator. If you own the blog you are the boss and you have the right to impose guidelines about your
blog's embracing a NO TROLLING POLICY. If the troll gets furious because his posts were expunged or were not published you can refer them back
to the guidelines (which are hanging freely in your blog for everybody to see) and cite breach and infraction of the ground rule.

10. And the last one ... Simply log off. I know ... just what the song says breaking up is hard to do. But it is the answer to your prayer especially
if the pest has drained out all your patience. It is the handiest option to avoid more frustrations and you can limit the amount of time rubbing
elbows with them.


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Re: Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Hab

Postby drake_perez » Fri Nov 04, 2022 11:51 am

BBM says hi.
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Re: Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Hab

Postby esperasave » Fri Nov 04, 2022 11:59 am

drake_perez wrote:BBM says hi.


BWAHAHAHAHA.LOL. He can't do nothing but to shrug it off. All the TV networks, media and newspapers are non loyalists or pro Marcoses. I don't think that it will gonna change anytime soon. As the Song Says for him, "Let It Go."
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Re: Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Hab

Postby Prozac » Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:27 pm

A friend complimented this thread thru tex and she said: "This is a good read." She however wants
to know what plays a vital role in trolling.

Easy ... one of them is anonymity. When trolls hide behind the cloak of anonymity they feel freedom and they
can say hurtful stuff online ... a far cry from his usual self as he can't say these in a face-to-face situation. Their
lack of restraint made them feel the gate is open for them to be nasty. What is there to be afraid of? Being name-
less and incognito - who can stop you anyway?

Mood also plays a significant role in why trolls do the way they do. When they have a bad hair day and are in a nasty
mood and their state of despondency hits rock bottom, they release all their negative feelings to the next unsuspect-
ing victim ... YOU.

Thanks for the question Irene.
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Re: Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Hab

Postby Prozac » Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:36 pm

drake_perez wrote:BBM says hi.


This is open-ended. I was tempted to reply but ...

I'd rather be prudent ... than merely courageous. Discretion is the better part of valor.

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Re: Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Hab

Postby Prozac » Sun Nov 06, 2022 6:27 am

Irene's two brothers have follow-up questions. Honestly, I never expected these questions, I was blown away.
But after reading it twice, I never thought of it while writing this thread.

Question: Is trolling a conscious or unconscious process? Are people aware of what they are doing and that they
have advanced to trolling?

Response: I am not sure if this answer is right. I made some research, but nothing definite ...

So what I will give you is just my own opinion ... and the only way I can answer the question is by placing myself
in the psychological shoes of the troll.

Having done that, I think it is a conscious process. One, Trolls INTENTIONALLY and DELIBERATELY bait someone into
a debate/argument.

Second, he CONSCIOUSLY and PERSISTENTLY continues the argument that seemed no end in sight ... for his spiteful
enjoyment.

Third, he derives PLEASURE and ENTERTAINMENT in seeing you cry or riled up

The above three are all conscious processes. If the troll knows what he is doing and what he is up to ... and enjoys
what he does and seeing you break down, ... all were mental operations of which a person is explicitly aware and
often in control.
Last edited by Prozac on Tue Nov 08, 2022 7:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Spotting A Troll In Our Midst And How To Avoid Their Hab

Postby Prozac » Sun Nov 06, 2022 6:50 am

The other brother had this question. Have you been labeled a troll for speaking up your mind and telling the
TRUTH?

Response: Not necessarily. The worst experience I have had is when trolls ganged up on me ... or when they
put words into my mouth ... making me ask myself " Did I really say that? Or when they discredited what I
said as some kind of opinion that will not matter anyway.

Indulging debates on politics or religion ... is a surefire recipe that you get labeled after the discussion especially
from someone making snap assumptions.

A lot of what people write in politics is their OPINION. It is easy to have an opinion about somebody. But it is
harder for people to draw the lines between OPINIONS from FACTS and LIES from TRUTH.
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