Society & Politics

4 Types of Internet Trolls, and What You Can Do to Avoid the Label

Profile of an Internet Troll
You may have encountered a troll before in your Internet life. You may been trolled before. And you may even have trolled others before, or have been accused of trolling even though you thought you were well-intentioned. This Take is about Internet trolls and how to identify them on the Internet and in you.



There are many different types of trolls. Trolling behavior may be intentional or unintentional, but regardless of intention, the consequences are the same: disruption, upset, or any set of negative feelings in the online community. Some forum cultures may have specific sensibilities, and offending those sensibilities will get you labelled as a Troll, while other forum cultures may have a high degree of tolerance for aggressive or highly provocative behavior.



Below, I have compiled a list of the types of trolls to my knowledge.



The Verbally Abusive or "Flame War" Troll



This is the classic troll. This is the type of person who would post with utterly vulgar vocabulary in almost every line or post. This person's objective is to be offensive right off the bat. Because of the poster's conspicuousness, this type of troll may get media attention for posting meanly on Facebook about a famous person who has died recently.


4 Types of Internet Trolls, and What You Can Do to Avoid the Label

The Foolish Troll



The troll may not recognize that s/he is trolling, because s/he seems to lack the intellectual ability to recognize the obvious flaws in her/his thinking. S/he may not show any sign of "common sense" or "common knowledge". The branding of troll may be due to a failure to tolerate another person's viewpoints on the reader's side, but it may also be due to the troll's willingness to appear foolish for laughs.



The Articulate, Argumentative Troll



You may think anyone who is mean and boorish has to be low-class, poorly educated, illiterate or barely literate, and inarticulate. That is far from the truth. In reality, someone can be labelled as a Troll by speaking very articulately and provoking huge conflict in discussions. The articulate, argumentative troll may be interested in rousing debate among the otherwise peaceful and all-concurring crowd. Although sparking a lively debate may be approved by some forum communities, other forum communities may strongly discourage or punish such behavior and would label the person as a Troll.



In the real world, there is no winning side or losing side, even though everybody thinks s/he is part of "winning side". So, picking a "winning side" and deliberately standing up for your position on a forum that supports the opposing side may get you labelled as a Troll. But that really depends on how much the other forum members, especially the moderators and administrators, allow contrasting views.


4 Types of Internet Trolls, and What You Can Do to Avoid the Label

The Off-Topic Troll



This troll intentionally or unintentionally goes off-topic of the original thread. Members may allow the change of discourse or view it as hijacking the thread. If the change of discourse is about something more light-hearted (about recipes or cats), then that will be tolerated, as long as other members are amused. If the change of discourse is about something more dense and serious and controversial with an unpopular viewpoint, then people will feel threatened and angrily reply, escalating into a hostile environment very quickly, and before you know it, some moderation activity will be done to settle the dispute. Both are off-topic, but it is the post with the unpopular opinion that gets labelled as a Troll.



What You Can Do To Avoid Trolling Behavior



In the above paragraphs, I have talked about different types of trolls. Now, I am going to talk about what you may do to recognize your own thought processes and intentions before you act, so you do not get labelled as a Troll. Getting labelled as a Troll completely ruins your forum reputation, so as a result, you may never achieve the same level of trust again.



1. Avoid the Big 3: politics, religion, and sex. Out of the three, sex is the biggest topic that you should avoid at all cost. Out of the three, sex is the most visceral topic, and holding an unpopular opinion about sex in the forum community may get you labelled as a Troll. People typically hold very strong opinions and attitudes about sex, most of which appeal to the viscera than to the intellect, because their lifestyles are at stake. No one wants to be demonized; every one wants to ensure that his/her sexuality is accepted and normal.



When I mention "normal" in the previous sentence, I do not mean normal in the statistical sense; I mean normal in the socially acceptable sense. This may apply to sexual minorities, people with outlandish sexual fetishes, and even people who support and live by a sexless lifestyle. So, if there were a discussion about limiting a certain type of sexual activity, then the discussion may escalate into a flame war, and the side whose lifestyle it is defending will look for ways to circumvent the issue without sacrificing the beloved sexual activity.


4 Types of Internet Trolls, and What You Can Do to Avoid the Label


2. Read the topic line, and stay strictly within topic. If you do not know how to respond, then wait a while for other posters to respond. Then, add onto the discussion by posting in agreement to the other posters. One thing people look for is validation for their beliefs. A post magically becomes "correct", if it is widely agreed upon. Although this method is definitely possible, it may be deplored by Westerners, because it undermines individualism. However, although many Westerners do value individualism in theory, they are still human beings who want like-minded acceptance and community. Acceptance and community are fundamental human traits.



3. Check for proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. A typographical error may be overlooked, but a habitual error may say something about your character and intellect. You want to appear intelligent enough so that people will respect you and take you seriously. Whether people recognize it or not, people do recognize intelligence as a necessary trait for social acceptance.



4. Do not analyze people's online behaviors right in front of them. People do not like to be analyzed. If someone were standing off the side and saying things that predict your behavior, would you feel annoyed?



5. Do not attempt to lead people into your supposed "correct" answer. This will just make people think that they are getting manipulated into accepting your point and rejecting their point. People don't like to be manipulated.


4 Types of Internet Trolls, and What You Can Do to Avoid the Label


6. Be ambivalent about the issue. If you are ambivalent and point out good points on both sides, then you are less likely going to be perceived as a threat from either side.



7. Work on your forum reputation before posting on controversial topics. Make friends. That way, you may get some respect and support for your opinions, as your friends on the website will know how you think.



8. Avoid foul language. Vulgarities get you nowhere.



9. Number 1 to 8 are tips to avoid unintentional trolling. For intentional trolling, just do not act on your evil thoughts. It is pointless. It is futile. It wastes your time and productivity. It is socially disruptive. Just don't do it and don't think about it. Many people don't think that thinking badly of someone is wrong, because it's just a thought. In reality, negative thought processes are just as harmful as the explicit behavior themselves. This is a phenomenon that has been explored in theology as much as in psychology.



Hope you find this Take useful, guys! :)

4 Types of Internet Trolls, and What You Can Do to Avoid the Label
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