It has become a norm for a person, without obvious reason, to share negative and offensive messages online. Their intent in most cases is to instigate conflict and aggressive arguments on social media.
Such people and their mannerism are termed as internet trolls. Whereas some do it for the attention and portraying mere pessimism, this habit comes with consequences.
Joy Linda, an avid social media user, says such people can go to extra lengths to cause trouble and get online attention.
She believes that people who spread hate online are in fact miserable in their lives offline, and want to drag the rest of the world with them.
Internet trolling can cause serious psychological effects. Photos/Net
"Most people who troll are either seeking for attention or are actually miserable and want to see others unhappy. They can’t bear seeing other people happy when they are not,” she says.
Linda, however, stresses that people need to understand how harmful this can be, adding that such hateful comments can cause serious psychological effects.
"People have lost their self-esteem over this. Others have come close to fearing for their lives because of hateful and life-threatening comments.”
Simon Muramira, a businessman, shares that he would have advised people to go easy with social media, however, he recognises how inevitable internet and social media usage has turned out to be.
He, therefore, thinks it’s up to the users to ensure that they limit potential harm and distress that could come as a result of such trolls, among other negative effects of social media.
"For the least bit, as a social media user, try not to engage with trolls. Though this can be hard at times since these people can really be provocative, it’s best to ignore. Engaging them is encouraging them to spread even more harm and hate,” he says.
‘Don’t feed the troll’
It appears the popular refrain is correct; don’t feed the trolls and give them the hurt or angry response they are looking for.
Unfortunately, the psychological profile of an internet troll means you will not get far appealing to their sense of humanity. And don’t just brush off the troll as someone who has low self-worth. Their character is far more complex, which makes managing the behaviour all the more challenging, according to Evita March, a senior lecturer in psychology.
"This does not mean we should just ignore this behaviour. People who commit this type of cyber abuse should still be held accountable for their actions. I propose we change the narrative. Trolls are not to be feared-their power lies in the reactions they cause,” she highlights.
One way we can start is to become active bystanders. Bystanders are those who witness the trolling. Active bystanders intervene and say "this is not okay.” Don’t fight fire with fire. Respond with outward indifference and strict no tolerance. Let’s work together to dismantle the power of the troll and take back the internet from their influence. It is not only up to the person experiencing the trolling to respond and manage the behaviour. We all need to take responsibility for our online environment, March notes.
Social media trolls live to make people upset and angry. They rant, post death threats, and spew hate speech. They attack an opponent’s character. And say things to appeal to people’s feelings (rather than their intellect). The internet is filled with people stating their opinions. Including upset folk wanting to share their negative, but sincere, beliefs, reads an article on the Hootsuite blog.
Trolls often don’t believe a word they write. But say it anyway; just to piss off the others. Simply stated… social media trolls = online bullies.
The article recommends responding with facts when dealing with trolls. Are your trolls spreading rumours, wrong information, inaccuracies or outright lies? Then disprove any tales told by trolls with facts.
Block or ban them. Most trolls, most of the time, are annoying. And usually harmless, however, sometimes trolls take things too far, like escalating to threats or hate speech. When they do, you can use your social might to block or ban them. Also, check the standards for appropriate content for that social network. If the troll’s posts are in violation, submit a report.