Trolls and Retribution

You wake up on a bright new day and see that your social media account is aglow with notifications. You get excited. All those people who want to engage so positively in something you've recently posted!

You open the notifications, but become a little deflated when you see that all of them are interactions from the same person... and you have no clue who they are. Hmmm, okay. Bit intense.

You start to feel a bit upset/creeped out/annoyed, when you see that this person has gone on somewhat of a rampage through not one, but several of your posts, and has been a bit of a dick in response to what you've written. Actually, scrap that, because they haven't 'responded' to the posts at all. That was merely their in-road to finding you. Instead, the comments are all personal, as in what they think of you as a human being - how you speak, how you look, and what kind of person they assume you to be, despite never having been connected with you at all previously. Yep - trolls are very rarely from within your own network. God forbid they form a connection with anyone, but more of that later.

You read through all the comments - some harking back to something you posted weeks ago - even though you know that reading them isn't going to be pleasant. You find that your troll has even taken it upon themselves to wade in on other people's comments as well, just to make their presence from behind the safety of their keyboard really fucking felt.

This scenario is just one real life example of what I'm talking about when I refer to somebody as a troll, because I know it's a strong word, and as a professional copywriter, I have a responsibility to choose and use my words appropriately. Yep - that's by my own definition, too.

Defining 'trolls' is really open to interpretation, and part of the reason for writing this blog was to clarify my own definition, because when I've mentioned the term in posts previously, some people have made the assumption that my definition is 'anyone who disagrees with what you say, Jo'. If that's my belief, then I'm being trolled on a daily basis by my mum, my husband, and my own bloody infant as well, right now.

It's great when people agree with you and show you the love for something you've said or done (don't we all want that?) but it's actually pretty cool when people disagree with you, too. Not for an argument, but for a debate. I don't know who originally said it, but the world really would be a boring place if we were all the same, wouldn't it? I hate losing an argument, but I love the fact that there's an opportunity to learn through a reasoned debate in the first place if someone disagrees - not just someone claiming 'Well aren't YOU just a fucking majestic bitch' (or variations thereof) 23 times, which, the more I think about it, I may start taking as a compliment...

I'm starting to get some pretty shitty and/or pointless comments thrown my way these days as my profile grows, but I'll still keep posting, because I love writing, and generally it leads to a great outcome and a fantastic following. The thing is, though, there are some amazing writers of all levels and professions out there who are noticeably starting to pull back on their social media posts. Their frequency of posting their musings, thoughts and questions isn't what it was, and they seem a little toned down at times when they do put something forward. These have always been my kind of people, so we've had the conversations about why they're not happy to post anymore. What do you think the reason was?

You may not want to get involved when you see a troll in action on someone else's post, figuring that it's none of your business or that they're not worth taking seriously. You'd be right in many respects, but a quick message of support or positivity to the person on the sharp end of the stick can work wonders. We're in danger of losing some great people (in all senses) to trolls on social media, because even though you may personally love what they post and you see that they've got a great following or fantastic levels of engagement, that just means they're a bigger target for trolling, and the fact that they've 'made it' means that there are more and more people who want to knock them down.

It's true that if someone is doing well online and Standing out, they'll have a boldness about them and a certain amount of resilience. They may even come out swinging, but never confuse that with them being totally fine with what's happening to them. Christ, who would be? And before anyone mentions growing a thick skin, well, why should they? It's not them who needs to change.

Most people show the level of class that I could only dream of when dealing with trolls - they ignore it or they politely thank them for their input. Then you've got people like me who naively think they're going to win the war with logic, attempted humour or a perfect put down, but if someone's already committed to disagreeing with you, you're not going to change their mind, my friend. As my mum always says, you can't reason with unreasonable people. She should know - she's an unreasonable person.

I block easily and often these days, because I don't want to give trolls any more of the time or concern I do already. They're always out there, though, and so if you're ever unsure if what you're receiving or witnessing is definitely from a troll, here's some additional criteria to look out for on their profiles:

• No profile picture, or a dodgy webcam photo that makes them look like someone who'd probably have chosen Fred West as the godparent to their child.
• Pattern of the same derogatory and negative comments or phrases aimed at other people's posts in their activity feed. Yep, I'm sorry to say, but it's a possibility you're not their only figure of focus.
• A distinct lack of posts that they've written themselves. Unthinkable that they should attempt to create anything of their own, when it's so much easier to destroy what other people have already done.

I have no idea what the best way to deal with trolls is, but if you're looking for someone who deals with the whole situation with class... it's probably not me. I'm more likely to rip them a new one with my cutting wit. Or something. I get that this only feeds the fires, but I can't agree with the point that if you ignore them, they'll just go away. They don't. They level up, and they start seeking bigger and better ways of baiting people. I can't let it go, I'm afraid. I'll fight back and I'll stand up for myself (or whoever they've attacked). No matter how pathetic they are typing from their mother's basement, they're still a bully, and I don't take to their actions lightly.

I know what you're thinking. Somebody hand Jo her shovel...

Happy troll hunting, people. And feel free to disagree with the blog.