How can you build resilience to handle online trolls?

To protect your brand through legal action. A troll’s goals are to make you upset don’t let them achieve their goals. If a troll is persistent or abusive, you can block them from contacting you or seeing your posts. Blocking can help you avoid further interaction and exposure to the troll. It can also help you create a safe and positive online space for yourself and others.

Building resilience against online trolls is crucial in social media management. First, we need to differentiate constructive criticism from trolling. While critical feedback is useful, engaging with trolls is not productive. Rather than responding to them, focus on nurturing a positive community around your brand. Encourage healthy conversations and don't shy away from moderating comments to keep the environment respectful. Our mental health is key. If the negativity becomes too much, consider handing over moderation duties or taking a break. Resilience is not just about confronting challenges; it's also about knowing when to put your well-being first and seeking help when needed.

When it comes to online trolls, I’m always reminded of what entrepreneur and influencer Gary Vaynerchuk said. He said he feels sorry for them. Why? Because imagine how horrible your life must be if that’s what you resort to—harassing people and saying truly hateful things online. Things that most people would never in a million years consider saying to someone face to face. So I do consider the motives of trolls. And I do feel sorry for them.

Mostly it’s because of jealousy. Or because they refuse to see your point of view. That is their problem, not yours. It’s a reflection of their self worth, not yours!

To deal with negative and criticizing people, it is important to act calmly and proactively. 1. Don't react impulsively to their criticism. Keep calm and don't get involved in a negative exchange. 2. Set clear boundaries, show that you don’t want to engage in unobjective criticism. Treat them respectfully but firmly. 3. Try to find the positive in the situation. With understanding, you can change the tone of the conversation. 4. Not all criticism requires a response. Learn to distinguish between constructive criticism & mere negativity. Ignore or block if needed. 5. Talk to friends, family or colleagues about your experiences. Sharing can provide support and perspective.

I tend to use the approach of ignore or not rising to the bait. Blocking someone is the last resort for me. I find replying or commenting in a friendly way steals their thunder. Even thank them for their comments ??. They only look like a fool to others when you rise above antagonistic comments on social media.

Ignore, report, block and block across all other platforms. I have had trolls turn into stalkers and it is important that you feel safe with your online experience. It is your social media. Curate it to keep you safe and happy as you live your life on social media.

There's one person that consistently replies to my stories with disrespectful comments from a spam account they use, and my favorite thing to do is ignore them and leave them in my message requests. I'll occasionally reply to comments with friendly banter and sometimes it creates a positive outcome, but most of the time I ignore them altogether. I'll block them if absolutely necessary, but in my experience, ignoring them bores the trolls and they move on.

Ignoring or blocking online trolls is a powerful strategy. First, resist the urge to engage emotionally; trolls thrive on reactions. Simply don't respond to their provocations. Secondly, use platform tools to block or mute them. This helps create a space free from negativity, allowing you to focus on positive interactions. Remember, your peace of mind is valuable, and disengaging is a proactive step towards maintaining a healthier online experience.

Always block and report trolls. Do not give them a space on your page or content. The reason is, some people do not hold any opinion about your brand or content, once they start reading the comments and see trolls and negative comments all over, they will simply never come back to the page. They will assume you are the one attracting such negative people and comments. Netizens must block and report trolls. Just like fire, if they a deprive of oxygen, they will die out.

This is very important. People complain that a platform is toxic, bad content, trolls etc, because they don't report bad behaviors. We have to work together to make these platforms better

If a troll is abusive or offensive - then it’s better to always report or flag it. Most platforms have strong policies and will hold those kind of responses accountable. As a Social Media Marketer, it’s equally important just like a user to create a friendly and healthy platform for users.

Seeking support and feedback is a vital step in building resilience against online trolling. Turn to friends, family, and colleagues - they're your emotional anchor and reality check, helping mitigate the impact trolls have on your self-esteem and confidence. Their perspectives can be a powerful antidote to the negativity you might encounter online, reminding you of your worth and the appreciation others have for you. This support network offers a balanced view of your online presence, countering the skewed perceptions that trolling can create. It's about surrounding yourself with positivity and constructive feedback to maintain a realistic and healthy perspective on your digital interactions.

Your immediate circle is great for support when you're on the receiving end of trolling. They can hype you up when you really need it. Also lean on the community that you build to help out. I've received negative comments on TikTok and YouTube posts before and I didn't even need to interact with it - my followers pushed the troll energy away by drowning out the negativity with positivity.

I experimented with 2 different approaches, each producing its own unique results. 1. ignore them: they're annoying but they eventually go away 2. Beat them at their own game: this required way too much time and energy, 10/10 do not recommend.

Most of the time, online trolls are projecting their own insecurities onto you and what they say holds no value. But, I truly believe that there are moments where constructive criticism can be perceived as "trolling." Early in my YouTube career, I had a comment that said my video was boring and all over the place, and it sucked because of that. After taking a step back, I understood where they were coming from and actually ended up agreeing with them after looking at the analytics in YouTube Studio - there was very low viewer retention. This is a situational troll moment. Again, not every comment ends up like this.

Keyboard bullies are a new reality...sadly. I always think about what is their motive. Are they constructively sharing their opinion and it is different, starting an argument for argument's sake, or are they using name calling simply because they don't agree? Everyone of those has a different response which others have addressed but the common thread in all of it is this is not a person you will likely ever see or hear from again. So who cares what some stranger on the internet has to say? Remember it is less about you than it is about them. So take a breath, respond to some other comments, walk away and take a break, and come back to deal with it objectively. Remember they are only tarnishing their reputation, not yours.

Spend time offline. It's important to consider online feedback but it's not everything -- remind yourself that there's a big world out there, and that face to face discussions often feel less polarizing.

Self care is huge. When being trolled or bullied online, just know they are projecting their own insecurities and faults onto you. Know it is not you. You are not the issue. They are. Protect yourself. Block them. Get off line and get some sun. Go outside and get some fresh air. Take yourself to lunch. Turn off the notifications on your phone. You are in control. They are not. Hugs.

There are few things more important in a social media career than practicing self-care. It's different for everyone, but sometimes you just have to STEP AWAY. Go for a walk. Read a chapter in your favorite book. Watch your favorite episode of Ted Lasso (Amsterdam, anyone? ??). Eat your lunch away from your desk (yes, AWAY. FROM. YOUR. DESK.). Whatever your self-care of choice, that's your moment to ignore the haters, the bullies, and the keyboard warriors. Breathe in, breathe out, let them go.

You can potentially use the comment as user feedback. For example, someone says "this sucks!" Ask them why. Sometimes folks would say something meaningful. Sometimes they won't. It's not your job to please everyone.

Beating them at their own game is one of those approaches to have in your pocket. Trolls are part of this journey as a lot of content pieces on platforms are mostly them. Be quirky & not offensive!

Assess how much you allow strangers on the internet to impact your mental well-being. Do you let one negative comment live rent-free in your mind and forget the positive comments? When it comes to the internet, either you build resilience to disturbing content, or it disturbs your peace.

Go to TikTok. Go to the comment section of any viral video and just read the comments. Post a video yourself if something controversial and read the comments. I got a thick skin as a social media manager by managing TikTok and having to read the comments from Gen Z and Gen A. They are brutal.

It is important to approach trolls with compassion. Compassion for them, and yourself. Their comments towards you is more than likely a reflections of them, and not yourself. Realizing this will allow you to have empathy for them, and also give you control over your own self image. Having control over your personal self image is an extremely valuable skill that is developed over time with empathy and gratitude. Remind yourself that you are not defined by the words and beliefs of others.