Trolls in Norse mythology were magical and unattractive beings, inspiring the term for internet troublemakers. They disrupt online forums by breaking rules and provoking members. The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them, but some people still engage with them. Moderated forums are less susceptible to trolls, but some prefer unmoderated ones despite the risk. Regardless of the forum, it’s best to put trolls on an ignore list.
Norse mythology tells of a race of somewhat magical, frightening, and annoying beings. The trolls of legend take many forms, residing in forests, seas and mountains. A common feature is that they were typically handsome with long hairy arms and exaggerated facial features, part beast, part human. These unattractive attributes may explain why internet users have adopted the term troll to refer to troublemakers. Today’s troll is someone who disrupts an online arena, such as a USENET newsgroup, chat room, or Web forum.
Unmoderated online discussions rely entirely on voluntary compliance to make social interaction enjoyable for all members. To that end, most forums have policies that every participant should read before posting to the group. The policy establishes the ground rules for the discussion forum. A troll is someone who purposely defies forum rules to upset members and get attention.
Racial slurs, unprovoked personal attacks, and repeated harassments are just some of the tools of the trade for an online troll. A troll usually posts in a group for the sole purpose of blowing up the topic and humiliating the members for their interest in it. A troll will try to start fire wars and thrive by getting derisive answers in return. Soon the members will tell the troll to stop, or worse, argue with him or her, which only makes the situation worse.
Savvy internet users will often post the golden rule when problems arise: don’t feed the troll! This simply means, don’t post about a troll. The troll wants attention, and if it isn’t given, they will eventually move on. This advice is good, but not everyone learns it at once, and a handful of people will commonly respond to a troll, while a few others will tell them not to respond, and soon members are arguing with each other about how to handle the troll.
A troll could also be sneaky, starting arguments that lead to fire wars by pretending to be interested in the topic. The same advice applies. When you realize you’re dealing with a troll, simply stop responding.
Self-moderated forums and newsgroups don’t have a problem with trolls because each post goes through an individual (the moderator) before being posted. If the post does not comply with the forum rules, it will be rejected before reaching the forum.
However, some people don’t prefer moderated forums. Censorship alone irritates some, while others dislike the potential delay between sending a message and posting it. This is more true of USENET newsgroups where a real person reads the messages, than of many Web forums where filtering software is used to act as a moderator. However, filtering software can’t always stop trolls, as they can easily adjust spelling to pass filters, leaving bad manners and offensive content intact.
Regardless of the forum, if you come across a particularly obnoxious personality online who seems dedicated to causing trouble, you’ve likely encountered a troll. Take the sage advice of Internet users who have come before you and put them on your ignore list. You’ll be doing yourself a favor and gutting the troll at the same time.
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