What do trolls get out of trolling?
- Thread starter FairlyFrightenedFeline
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I do find I particularly funny that some people on the internet consider saying your favourite game ever wasn't made by Valve to be trolling.Irridium said:
OT: Because they think that irritating people is really funny. It's easy to do on the internet since they're unlikely to be within arms reach, real men do it in real life!
Actually real men are the people slapping the people that do it in real life, but whatever.
Human behaviour on the internet is significantly different to real life. The ability to build personas, the near total freedom and the anonymity available changes people when they log on.
As a result of this we are left with a zoo of strange creatures which are rare finds in reality, bible pushers, nazis, camwhores, the list goes on and on. The bottom line is that the freedom of expression breeds ignorance and intransigence, on the internet I have no shackles, I do not have to listen to you or respect you, my opinion is ultimate.
At least, that's how a few people act. These people commune in various sections of the great internet zoo and smear each other with their own ignorance. Enter the troll.
Your average troll is a white male between the ages of 16 and 19 with the more experienced trolls trolling well into their 20s. There is a plethora of reasons one wishes to troll but they all get the same kick of out of it, well some have other motives i.e. Anon but the kick remains.
The methodology is simple, exploit the stupidity and ignorance that plagues this zoo through any means available.
Average trolls looking for easy targets will hang around gaming forums looking for fanboys, Yahoo! Answers, vulnerable individuals such as Mumsnet and MLP forumgoers.
Then you have more skilled trolls who have better things to do than post shock images and outline why the PS3 sucks, their MO and targets will vary greatly, but they understand that as an individual they're weak, a minor inconvenience for a forum moderator. And so they'll band together, and usually go for targets more ambitious than forums, and can spend weeks planning every aspect of their mission.
However, for all the thought and planning, all trolls can be defeated by knowledge, for the lack of knowledge is exactly what they need to troll. In the end the old proverb stands:
"Please do not feed the troll"
...it really is a zoo out there.
As a result of this we are left with a zoo of strange creatures which are rare finds in reality, bible pushers, nazis, camwhores, the list goes on and on. The bottom line is that the freedom of expression breeds ignorance and intransigence, on the internet I have no shackles, I do not have to listen to you or respect you, my opinion is ultimate.
At least, that's how a few people act. These people commune in various sections of the great internet zoo and smear each other with their own ignorance. Enter the troll.
Your average troll is a white male between the ages of 16 and 19 with the more experienced trolls trolling well into their 20s. There is a plethora of reasons one wishes to troll but they all get the same kick of out of it, well some have other motives i.e. Anon but the kick remains.
The methodology is simple, exploit the stupidity and ignorance that plagues this zoo through any means available.
Average trolls looking for easy targets will hang around gaming forums looking for fanboys, Yahoo! Answers, vulnerable individuals such as Mumsnet and MLP forumgoers.
Then you have more skilled trolls who have better things to do than post shock images and outline why the PS3 sucks, their MO and targets will vary greatly, but they understand that as an individual they're weak, a minor inconvenience for a forum moderator. And so they'll band together, and usually go for targets more ambitious than forums, and can spend weeks planning every aspect of their mission.
However, for all the thought and planning, all trolls can be defeated by knowledge, for the lack of knowledge is exactly what they need to troll. In the end the old proverb stands:
"Please do not feed the troll"
...it really is a zoo out there.
I've trolled a bit in my day, but it's not fun for me to just out and out crap all over somebody's hobbies or interests like traditional trolls. I like to find someone with a belief or idea I know is utterly ridiculous. Someone who is probably a teenager and somebody who regularly thinks of themselves as superior because of their beliefs. I'll play dumb or I'll agree with them sarcastically - something more subtle or passive aggressive. Watching someone get themselves banned after freaking out with capital letters and obscenities from my polite and innocent responses is just gold. Solid fucking gold. You can tell when someone is on the tipping point. You've just got to give them that extra little push.
It's called "messing with people." It's fun to do in real life, too. It's not as sadistic as it sounds and you get a lot of good stories out of it at the end of the day. Of course, I rarely have the nerve to do it in real life because I'm a coward and never leave the house. That's why we have the internet.
It's called "messing with people." It's fun to do in real life, too. It's not as sadistic as it sounds and you get a lot of good stories out of it at the end of the day. Of course, I rarely have the nerve to do it in real life because I'm a coward and never leave the house. That's why we have the internet.
I used to be something of a troll, nothing too serious, mostly I'd just haunt the youtube comments. I've really gotten too lazy for even that though.
Now I like to consider myself a justice troll. I'll remain cool until I find a post or comment of such idiocy that I am obligated to pull out the fullness of my power and serve retribution. It gets me in trouble occasionally on these forums.
Now I like to consider myself a justice troll. I'll remain cool until I find a post or comment of such idiocy that I am obligated to pull out the fullness of my power and serve retribution. It gets me in trouble occasionally on these forums.
Someone who gets joy out of upsetting others is an arsehole.
The reasons given for it such as the victims stupidity/narrow mindedness/reaction/trolling is an art-form bullshit i've seen here doesn't excuse it, nor does it change the fact that the person who trolls is an arsehole.
I've seen trolls taunt people who have six months to live, i seen trolls wreck websites that people have put up in memory of their loved ones, I don't care if its something serious you are trolling, or something stupid like a computer game. The fact that you get a cheap thrill out of upseting people needlessly for your own amusment means you are an Arsehole, and a pathetic one at that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/opinion/30zhuo.html?_r=3
The reasons given for it such as the victims stupidity/narrow mindedness/reaction/trolling is an art-form bullshit i've seen here doesn't excuse it, nor does it change the fact that the person who trolls is an arsehole.
I've seen trolls taunt people who have six months to live, i seen trolls wreck websites that people have put up in memory of their loved ones, I don't care if its something serious you are trolling, or something stupid like a computer game. The fact that you get a cheap thrill out of upseting people needlessly for your own amusment means you are an Arsehole, and a pathetic one at that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/opinion/30zhuo.html?_r=3
People do it for shits and giggles. Alos ye trolls can be reformed but it they are over 20 they are never going to grow up.
My theory is that many use it somewhat as an escape from the real world where they are not allowed to misbehave. I don't think that they are necessarily bad people, I just think they think less of the implications of what they do online than what they do in the real world.