Trolling

[James]

Two recent(ish) reasons why I think the idea of trolling is really stupid:

• It is almost as bad as Godwin's Law was these days, there's a lot of people who say you're trolling for having a difference in opinion or for even joking. Not everyone is out to get you, calm down.
  
• It poses as an excuse for people who are stupid and need to escape their illogical fallacies. It is a coward's way out and I would rather accept someone to admit they're wrong than forcing their way out by saying they were lying like that.

Please for the love of God, use the term trolling correctly. Also; learn the difference between jokes and trolling.

[Aidan]

• It poses as an excuse for people who are stupid and need to escape their illogical fallacies. It is a coward's way out and I would rather accept someone to admit they're wrong than forcing their way out by saying they were lying like that.

Half the time, some people like to assume this as well, which is a third issue.


It can be difficult because trolling can be interpreted in many ways. A joke, insult, escape, A DRUG.

[James]

What?

[Aidan]

What?

Exactly what I'm talking about.

[James]

No Im confused, a drug?

[Aidan]

No Im confused, a drug?

Yeah, sure.

[James]

Care to elaborate?

[Aidan]

No need to. I'm pretty sure that we both know what's going on here.

[James]

Nope, because I don't associate internet behaviour with drugs.

[clyzm]

Perhaps what Aidan means is, some people are sociopathic online to the point where trolling releases endorphins in their brain, stimulating them and giving them a little rush much like a normal drug would, so they're addicted

I dont know for sure though, he could be speaking Canadian

[Kaiden]

It poses as an excuse for people who are stupid and need to escape their illogical fallacies. It is a coward's way out and I would rather accept someone to admit they're wrong than forcing their way out by saying they were lying like that.

I agree with that, seen it enough times where someone says something dumb, tries to backup said dumb thing with bad facts, then after failing, announced that "i was trolling all along!!" as if to suddenly make everything they've said obsolete.

I do like the results of trolling if done in a fashion I find funny, but when basement dwellers stalk facebook tribute pages for i.e. someone more recently murdered, and does such for weeks on end, then it's just sad. (then they get arrested hurr, I forget the name of the recent one in the UK)

While I wouldn't troll something like that, if playing something like HoN (League of legends), where 95% of the playerbase is mentally challenged then it usually can't be helped when they're begging for it, although they're so dumb they're usually completely unaware of what's happening anyway.

[James]

JOKES ON YOU

I WAS ONLY PRETENDING TO BE RETARDED

- Retard acting as if he isn't a retard

[Hanover Fist]

Dude Hitman was the king of that

[~DJ~]

Two recent(ish) reasons why I think the idea of trolling is really stupid

totally agreed. I MEAN LIKE I GET THIS BANNER OF BEING A 'TROLLER' what the fook is that shit anyway

[MrBlackDX]

Being protected by your computer/internets empowers trolling.

This is generally why its easy to interpret some peoples comments as trolling when they might not be intending to troll.

Its very easy to think "well that person wouldn't say that in person/to my face, so clearly its trolling".



Brilliant troll

[Tantalus]

Obviously that guy wasn't trolling, just wanted to quiz people on their quantum physics knowledge.

[James]

Two recent(ish) reasons why I think the idea of trolling is really stupid

totally agreed. I MEAN LIKE I GET THIS BANNER OF BEING A 'TROLLER' what the fook is that shit anyway

"Oh DJ stop being a troll.

"

That is honestly how I would see them. You're just silly/immature and joke around a lot. Trolling lmao.

Obviously that guy wasn't trolling, just wanted to quiz people on their quantum physics knowledge.

Plus it was a joke.

[Tantalus]

STOP TROLLING JAMES GAUIHFSUDFHUUVSBDVSFBSWUROWHGOIWHFWOIWFFSDFAFASFISIFSAAAAAFFASFSFDFGHSJDF

[James]

AAAAAAA

[MrBlackDX]

I think people are trying to redefine the term of trolling to justify their actions

"In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4] The noun troll may refer to the provocative message itself, as in: "That was an excellent troll you posted".
While the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, media attention in recent years has made such labels subjective, with trolling describing intentionally provocative actions outside of an online context. For example, mass media uses troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."[5][6]"

If it doesn't mean this, please, edit wikipedia?

[James]

Eh, leave it to their own devices. I've got a feeling the internet will come to a realisation what trolling is and isn't supposed to be - starting with places that hot spot 'trolling' culture.

Ray William Johnson (I think, don't watch much of his 'work' because he is a plague on YouTube) has this saying of "KEEP ON TROLLIN'!" at the end of his weekly/daily videos, I believe. The shows are for his highlighting of... funny YouTube videos akin to You've Been Framed and other old VHS shows.

[MrBlackDX]

From the discussion on the wiki page;

Examples in the article broader than the definition in the lead.

The lead defines a troll as "someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.This term is used by others that can not compete with the reply of others that do not agree with what has been said,"
But the article includes a section on 'concern trolls' who don't actually fall into the above definition. The intent of provoking a an emotional response or disrupting normal on-topic discussion appears to be lacking, so the label "troll" seems rather inappropriate. They would be better characterised as using the anonomity of the Internet to subtly push a political purpose (in which Chinese so-called 50 Cent Party could also be defined as "trolls").
On the other hand, reference is made to people who emailed pictures of the mutilated corpse of a teenager who died in an accident to her grieveing family. The idea is to upset people, so the intent is there, but this action goes beyond the narrow definition of posting messages in an online community.
Is there some way in which the lead could be harmonised with the rest of the article? For instance, by moving the 'concern trolling' section to its own article, or by expanding the definition given in the lead?
221.222.125.114 (talk) 01:23, 6 August 2011 (UTC)

Just an example of how meanings of terms will evolve.

Also interesting in this instance how trolling is now appearing to form subgenre's ("concern trolling"???)

[James]

I remember when there was an online term called "flaming", wonder what happened to that?