Is there a certain celebrity or
public figure who you think seems ‘too happy’ or needs taking down a peg or
two? Do you have an unpopular opinion you would never dare share with anyone
but would feel validated and understood if someone else did? Never fear, the
keyboard warriors are here at a computer near you.
In a private place, shielded by their
beloved internet, these trolls or warriors (?!), you decide the appropriate
term for them, are on call, waiting for their next victim to launch their
verbal attack on. Out in the open most of these verbal offenders are probably
relatively polite and reasonable people who would never dare cause offence in
public. In private, though they are just waiting to get on Facebook, Twitter,
Trip Advisor or the nearest online outlet to unleash their rage.
I often wonder in daily life where
can we find these online soldiers? Where do they hang out? Without knowing it
they are possibly one of your work colleagues, a classmate at college, someone
at your gym class or that pleasant girl who served your coffee this morning.
They are a bit like the witches in Roald Dahl’s children’s novel; in public
appear perfectly pleasant and well-presented but as soon as it’s safe; they
remove their masks to unleash their racist, homophobic or slanderous views. But
if they only dare cause offence in private how can we find them and call them
out?
After some careful consideration I
have compiled a list of possible tell-tale signs of a troll and I present to
you, A Guide to Spotting Internet Trolls. These are some things to look out for
when seeking one out..
1.They are constantly checking their twitter and
social media accounts with a controlled yet slightly aggravated expression.
2. They go slightly red and remain silent when
someone expresses outrage at a racist or sexist comment.
3.There have a forced political correctness about
them at all times and don’t reveal their opinion too often in public.
4.They are often seen staring into the distance
with a secret smile; possibly marvelling at their latest rhetorical
masterpiece.
5.They use a lot of Cap Locks in their correspondence
with you.
On a more serious note though online
abuse can have severe consequences and can drastically affect the receiver’s
mental health; an example of this being the tragic suicide of former Love
Island star Sophie Gradon, this summer. In her last interview before her death
she spoke about how online trolls had made her life hell. At a cyber-bullying
conference in Leeds last March she confessed how vicious online abuse had
caused her to descend into a dark place and said: ‘’trolls leave you feeling
vulnerable, unsafe and upset.’’
Trolls are no longer the ugly cave-dwelling
creatures we read about in fairy tales, they now exist on the internet and aim
to cause harm by spreading libellous rumours and messages online. With the
widespread popularity of social media, it has become almost impossible to sensor
or to prevent them.
Another recent victim of online
abuse is former Pussycat Dolls member and current Strictly Come Dancing
finalist Ashley Roberts. British viewers seemingly have had enough of her being
‘too good’ of a dancer and have decided she needs to be brought down a peg or
two. Forget all of her hard work and dedication to perfect her routines,
@XFlaminBeckyX on Twitter is not having any of it. In a tweet on Saturday this
user wrote: ‘’Craig did not just accuse Stacey and Kevin for cheating in that
dance (lots of angry emojis). If anyone is cheating its Ashley by just purely
being in this show #strictly’’. While
user @jasmin_x_x_x wrote: ‘’On behalf of the nation if the judges keep Ashley
in for another week I’m marching to that studio and giving them a piece of my
mind.’’
I don’t understand how a Saturday
night family entertainment can evoke so much anger. Before twitter and social
media what did these people do- open their front doors and shout their abuse
down the street, punch a wall, write a letter to the television studio?
In darker areas of the internet
abusive islamophobic and racist messages are prevalent and it is easy to see
how people can become radicalised online. American comedian Bill Maher said in
a tweet: ‘’the internet does not just radicalise would-be terrorists, it
radicalises everyone.’ With the majority of the population attached to their
smart phone for several hours every day, it is hard to not worry about how much
people are influenced by what they read online.
With these trolls on the loose it
is up to the rest of us to remain vigilant and to not be fooled. Just watch out
for your next email with excessive cap locks or that shifty colleague, they
might just be leading a secret online existence.