Internet trolls are likley "trolls" in real life

[Vault101]

http://io9.com/5919313/reality-check-most-internet-trolls-are-trolls-in-real-life-too?tag=open-channel

I came across this really interesting article regarding the Idea of "trolling"

alot of us accept the Idea that "anonymity" is one of the main causes/motivations for trolling, that people "thrive" without the consequences of saying oturagous things, and riling up others

but here I think the basic Idea of the article is that in real life we don't "choose" to hang out with 14 year old idiots...or crazy conservatives, or just regular assholes, and when we encounter thease people we don't bother engaging them...we walk away

on the itnernet however its a different story

while I'm not sure if I completly agree, its certainly interesting, though if it were true then "gamers" would be even worse than before

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

While it wouldn't surprise me that internet trolls might try that shit "in the real world" I can guarantee they'd quit it as soon as someone punched their lights out. The funny thing is they're probably so disassociated from real life that they wouldn't see it coming.

Sometimes violence is the answer.

 

[sextus the crazy]

I think people who specifically know they are "trolling" are those types of people (my experience with my friends is what I'm going off of), but the internet shows that most people are will act like assholes the minute they're given free reign.

 

[Vault101]

alot of us accept the Idea that "anonymity" is one of the main causes/motivations for trolling, that people "thrive" without the consequences of saying oturagous things, and riling up others

Well honestly the times I've trolled on Gaia Online I did it sometimes because I could get away with saying outrageous things and having people believe me online, and because in the end no one was really going to think that *I* believed those things. Like that furries shouldn't own pets XD

0_0.....youre....your one of [i/]them[/i]

I....[small/]I don't even [b/]know[/b] you anymore [/small]

 

[Vault101]

Seriously, though, people should have known better than to reply to that topic. Much less let me necro it and make it 39 pages long. -__-

GET OUT! I'm not talking to you anymore... *sob*

 

[Vault101]

But... I can change! I'm never over there any more to troll anyway!

I've been burned by trolls before....

my parents died from shock after inocently surfing the net..*sob*..TROLLS NEVER CHANGE!

 

[Vault101]

I could...

...

*runs off sobbing*

you'll never change! it's in your blood!.....

uh...I just derailed my own thread

 

[Luftwaffles]

Moving on....

I have a friend who kinda trolls irl. Dont think he spends much time on forums and stuff, but when gaming he would occasionally talk smack.

Hell i dont even know whats trolling anymore.

 

[Vault101]

Moving on....

I have a friend who kinda trolls irl. Dont think he spends much time on forums and stuff, but when gaming he would occasionally talk smack.

Hell i dont even know whats trolling anymore.

I theick trolling technically means saying beyond retarded things for the sole purpose of getting peole riled up (I don't get the apeal)

however saying retarded things regardless of intention I supose peopel count as trolling

like "All peopel who like COD are stupid!!"

 

[Solo-Wing]

Maybe. I trolled some Jehovah witnesses that came knocking on my door interrupting my Team Fortress 2 time. But I only did it cause I was in the zone and kicking ass. Something that rarely happens to me.

Told them I was Hindu and told them I would listen to whatever they had to say IF they could disprove my gods with an argument that could not be used to disprove their god.

Let's just say I had quite a bit of fun with them.

 

[LetalisK]

This guys theory and the traditional belief(which as he describes it is basically GIFT) are not mutually exclusive. His theory basically is that if someone is a troll on the internet, then they're also probably a troll in real life and the reason they may not be singled out or act out as much in real life is because of other societal pressures or lack of opportunities. In other words, the internet exacerbates trolling behavior among trolls because it creates a conducive environment for it. However, that does not exclude the possibility of trollish/aggressive behavior heightening in otherwise "normal" people because of the environment the internet provides, it just may not always be as high a level as real life trolls and thus is less likely to be labelled as trolling behavior. When the average rises, the standard changes, so to speak.

That's just my thoughts on the article.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Moving on....

I have a friend who kinda trolls irl. Dont think he spends much time on forums and stuff, but when gaming he would occasionally talk smack.

Hell i dont even know whats trolling anymore.

I theick trolling technically means saying beyond retarded things for the sole purpose of getting peole riled up (I don't get the apeal)

however saying retarded things regardless of intention I supose peopel count as trolling

like "All peopel who like COD are stupid!!"

I suppose. Article makes a good point about being able to ignore deliberate trolls. Some people do it easier than others iguess.

 

[Vault101]

However, that does not exclude the possibility of trollish/aggressive behavior heightening in otherwise "normal" people because of the environment the internet provides, it just may not always be as high a level as real life trolls and thus is less likely to be labelled as trolling behavior. When the average rises, the standard changes, so to speak.

That's just my thoughts on the article.

and that makes me wonder..while it probably is a thing (and the article says it is as well)

how much of a "thing" is it really? I mean why anyone would purposfully act like a dick online is kind of beyond me (and I don;t jsut mean riling up easy targets..I mean full on, almsot scary stuff..like GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN <- how is that even funny?)

 

[manic_depressive13]

Isn't the definition of a troll someone who says something with the intention of gettting a rise out of someone? Of course I do that in real life. Anyone who says they haven't is a fucking liar. To use a fairly tame example, when you know someone is a dog person it's only natural to want to tell them that cats are better, and vice versa. Also, everyone knows someone in real life who is hilarious when they're angry.

 

[Luftwaffles]

I am not going to lie. Sometimes its hilarious to see someone go crazy over something silly. Example....

Its a complicated phenomenon

Also

 

[LetalisK]

However, that does not exclude the possibility of trollish/aggressive behavior heightening in otherwise "normal" people because of the environment the internet provides, it just may not always be as high a level as real life trolls and thus is less likely to be labelled as trolling behavior. When the average rises, the standard changes, so to speak.

That's just my thoughts on the article.

and that makes me wonder..while it probably is a thing (and the article says it is as well)

how much of a "thing" is it really? I mean why anyone would purposfully act like a dick online is kind of beyond me (and I don;t jsut mean riling up easy targets..I mean full on, almsot scary stuff..like GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN <- how is that even funny?)

I'm operating under the assumption that things like GIFT, as with many things, is exaggerated. The point I take away from it is not that the internet turns everyone into frothing monsters. The point I take away from it is that the internet is more likely to increase our aggressiveness and disinhibit us to do things, even if they're relatively minor, that we normally suppress. So basically, everyone's trollishness goes up, but its relative to what their trollishness is in real life.