How to spot an Internet Troll in public

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.