Are Internet trolls truly unconTROLLable?

“We be trolling, and hatin’, we be writing dirty.”

You know I am not talking about the fantasy trolls that live under a bridge or the tiny 90’s toys that had neon pointy hair and jewels in their belly buttons. I am talking about the trolls that invade the Internet to find anything and everything to write their poisoned words upon.

To some they are quite entertaining, clever and full of responses as if they stayed up night after night preparing for an ultimate battle. To others they are the parasites of the web, multiplying in grand numbers, faster than bunnies or fleas, except… this breed talks.

Usually hiding behind an avatar they will find content to try and rip to shreds or at times their comment is completely non-relevant to the topic at hand, they just want to go fishing and the world is their ocean, their words are the bait, and you are the prey.

Everyone has encountered an Internet troll, yes even you, and for some they might not even know that they took the bait and began a losing battle. To know if you have encountered a troll, is to see if what they are writing is relevant, is it negative sentiment or just hate. From this, you can define whether you have been bitten by the troll bug or have an unhappy follower or customer.

A troll according to Wikipedia is described as such:

“In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional responseor of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion”

So are trolls truly uncontrollable? No, they only have as much power as you give them. If you feed into their heckling or intelligent non-sense then you are giving your control away and as much as we enjoy sharing our emotions these days, anger is never an acceptable side that employers and friends like to see.

The Internet is not your therapist or a place to lose your inhibitions either, much like Rick Rolling, a Troll Trolling is a form of trickery and the pleasure is all theirs if they evoke emotion from you.

So the next time you get locked in a word battle with a troll, simply remain calm and let the trolls move on. (see what I did there?)