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7 Ways to Defeat an Internet Troll (and Stay Sane in the Process)

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 13:59

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(Before It's News)

2nd December 2015

By Carolanne Wright

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

At one point or another, most of us have experienced an Internet troll. The unmistakable characteristic of overtly aggressive responses — which quickly morph into personal attacks and distract from the topic at hand — are usually a dead giveaway of a troll’s presence. It’s made clear early in the exchange that the person in question doesn’t have the least interest in honest debate — you can throw as many studies, facts and solid verification of your position into the mix, but the information will go unread and unacknowledged as the troll plows ahead with their destructive agenda. They sow nastiness and discord whenever they appear in comment sections of blogs and forums, or social media platforms like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Certain subject matter tends to be a breeding ground for troll activity — like articles about the dangers of vaccinations or genetically modified food, even fracking. As we attempt to discern fact from fiction during our daily forays into cyberspace, it’s just too easy for someone to hide behind an alias and spew forth disinformation.

You may have wondered, as I have countless times: What exactly are these people after? How do we fend them off, and stay sane in the process?

Portrait of an Internet Troll

Last spring, I shared “A Parent’s Response to the New York Times Article: Eliminate Vaccine Exemptions” on social media. I felt the article was well-researched, backed by solid facts and invalidated many of the arguments posed by those who advocate mandatory vaccination. Initially, the comments about the piece all had the familiar voice of readers who follow my page. Not everyone agreed with the article, but the debate offered good food for thought. In other words, it was a debate in the truest sense of the word, not a mud-slinging contest. Even when people became heated in their viewpoints, the discussion rarely veered off-topic into personal attacks.

That is, until the post somehow made its way to a pro-vaccine Facebook page. Then all hell broke loose. The discussion turned from a debate on vaccine exceptions and safety to a very personal “defending your life” episode. The three trolls that entered into the comment fray were outrageously aggressive, hurling slander like there was no tomorrow, while failing to offer a single shred of factual information supporting their stance. And they were tenacious, not giving up until they had the last (usually irrelevant) word. As moderator for the post, I was at an impasse: should I block these troublemakers who are bullying other commentators, or let it lie in the spirit of free speech?

I chose the later, but to this day, I question whether it was the right approach.

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