Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Trolling and the Evolution of Online Culture


In 2006, eighteen year old Nikki Catsouras crashed her father’s Porsche into a toll booth in Southern California. Authorities arrived at the scene to find Nikki’s dead body and what little remained of the car. Police officers took routine photos of the gruesome accident and closed the case; however, the photos were leaked onto the internet and Mr. Catsouras soon found them in his email inbox.

It was found that the leaked images began circulating on the internet shortly after the accident. An individual then found the photos and took deliberate actions to cause strife in the Catsouras family. Though this story is extremely unfortunate, it is not the only occurrence of an individual taking deliberate actions to evoke the emotions of another. This act, known on the internet as trolling, has become extremely common. Some websites, such as 4chan or Encyclopedia Dramatica, have even embraced the concept.

Trolling, according to the PC Magazine Encyclopedia, is the act of “posting derogatory messages about sensitive subjects on newsgroups and chat rooms to bait users into responding.” These trolls will often insert controversial statements or commit such acts in an attempt to cause the victim to react. Sometimes, trolls will pretend to be genuinely concerned about another individual in order to allow the victim to open up to him or her. The troll will then use this vulnerability to lash out in the most harmful way possible, leaving the victim hurt and defensive.

Many consider trolling to be form of cyber bullying; however, it is a part of online culture and a standard mode of behavior for many internet users. Websites exist that teach individuals to troll and, often times, trolls are considered the “popular” people of internet videogames. Unfortunately, the internet culture of trolling has begun to cross the lines from the internet to real life. Such was the case with the Catsouras family.

I was inspired to write about trolling because, as an avid videogame player, I have noticed a drastic increase in troll behavior on many social videogames. Previously positive gaming environments have turned into cesspools of social degradation. Instead of having normal conversations, people would mention crude or controversial subjects just to begin arguments. I found that I could no longer find a friend as easily as I had in previous years, and that most individuals I encountered only wished to evoke a negative emotional response from me.

Perhaps trolling has become more common due society’s increased reliance on the internet. The more people use the internet, the easier it is for one to have an impact on its users. Perhaps individuals believe that it is easier to have a negative lasting impact on an individual than a positive one. Whatever the reason, trolling and internet abuse is a looming concern for millions of internet users. Perhaps if we take a stand against these internet abusers, we may make a difference in this social decline.

2 comments:

ReesyButt said...

Very well put. I was always foggy on what trolling really was. I like the distinction you made between trolling and cyberbullying. Well done!

Unknown said...

I agree with you on this too, and I am appalled at the fact that it has become insensitive to the consequences it has on other's feelings / interpretations of what they are trying to say.

It would be best if you could share this to others and hopefully change the internet to be a better place instead.