My Final Thoughts on Anonymity

In the end, this unit of anonymity has brought many things to my attention. For example I learned the two point of views on the topic and how it affects others. From my stand point anonymity was just another part of the internet world. Not really understanding the cons of anonymity, I now see what the victims of anonymity go through and how they feel. Seeing this I understand why they might want to get rid of anonymity all together. Just reading on Zelda Williams story is enough evidence. Although after reading all of these stories and stand points on anonymity, my opinion hasn't shifted completely. I still believe that anonymity is very useful and it shouldn't be terminated completely, although I do believe things should be done with the negative affects that it is causing. Not a complete background check on the person signing up for that specific social media site, but there should be some watching over the trolls. Trolls should only have a certain amount of chances until their accounts are deleted completely.

Peanut Butter the Elephant

So I just watched Nerve this weekend, which is a movie ALL ABOUT being online and anonymous, how perfect right?
It centers around an online dare game called Nerve where participants can either sign up as a Watcher or a Player. Players complete dares for money and watchers determine their dares. The game starts off harmless enough, with dares like kissing a stranger or serenading someone in a restaurant, but as players become more willing, the stakes and money get higher, and the watchers hide deeper behind their screen names. The game shuns those who contact anyone for help or try to get it shut down, and people abuse anonymity resulting in so any awful things that can't be blamed on anyone in particular.

While a game as dangerous as this would definitely be stopped by the government or shut down before blowing to this proportion, the movie definitely hit close to home on the topic of the potentially poison in anonymity.

People hide behind their avatars, letting their online voices speak louder than themselves. That's a fact online, it just is, and while anonymity is used for so many positive things online, the negative speaks louder. It always does that's just a fact.

When nations are bombed and people get arrested, that's the front page everywhere, the first article on every news website, the only thing on television, but nobody hears about the major leaps in clean energy or the baby elephant that was just born that the Safari Park named Peanut Butter. No one hears about the expectant mothers who use anonymity to get advice, but everybody hears about trolls. That's just a fact.

People hide behind their screen names because by doing so, they don't feel the real world effect of their words. Online and anonymous there are no consequences. What you say has no reverberations, they're just words thrown out to the void, and people don't realize that the people on the receiving end are real people with real emotions.

What Does A Troll See?

What does a web troll actually feel or think when they decide to insult or annoy people on the Internet? Although there are no certain explanations, there is enough reason and logic to believe that they do it out of their own self loathing or lack of confidence. Trolls may feel horrible about themselves that they feel the need to bring others down to their levels or even lower. This would be to make them feel a bit higher than others in the world so they don't seem like the saddest person living. Trolls may not be wholeheartedly thinking about their actions when they participate in these barrages of insults and annoyance. On the other hand, maybe, some of these web trolls cause harm because they actually enjoy seeing others depressed and hurt. The reasonings cannot be placed as either the majority or minority because there is no way to tell why someone decided to become a web troll. For this reason, seeing through the eyes of a troll is a very difficult and confusing matter.

Is trolling still relevant

A couple of years ago trolling started to become a popular trend in social media. Every single page had at least 5 trolls trying to cause chaos and make people rage for entertainment. However, this was a couple of years ago. Some of us seniors were either in the 8th grade or barely starting the 9th grade. As we have all matured greatly is trolling still a relevant thing? We all know now to ignore those people who try to cause drama on our social media accounts. If those people continue to "troll" then we do something about it and block the person. Being anonymous is major part of the online world. Without being anonymous a majority of people wouldn't try to go online and have fun by trolling. On the other hand, is trolling still that big of a deal anymore? Trolling mainly happens news websites where articles are being posted of recent news. None of us seniors happen to go on those sites unless we have to visit them quickly for a homework assignment or some sort of project. Trolling has been dying over these past couple of years due to the new features of blocking spam accounts or reporting cyber bullying causing these accounts to be deleted. I believe that trolling isn't an issue anymore because the trend has died down and now people are trying to find a new trend to entertain themselves while being behind a screen and key board.

The Good And The Bad

Being anonymous could either be a good thing or a bad thing. It is by your actions whether you will use it for good or bad. Anonymous posting is not really a horrible thing. It lets you express yourself without a screen name. You can ask questions that you will be too shy to ask your family or friends. For example, a pregnant woman would want to know more stuff about her reproductive system. Weed growers would want to know how much water is needed. People may need to know what type of disease they have without revealing their information.

There are many reasons why being anonymous can be bad.  "It quickly morphed to refer to the monsters who hide in darkness and threaten people...Trolls are turning social media and comment boards into a giant locker room in a teen movie, with towel-snapping racial epithets and misogyny” (TIME). This is a perfect example of what a troll is and what trolls do to society. There are people who actually live to see other people hurt for just retweets and likes.People are getting hurt left and right without them knowing who's throwing the punches.  These actions caused by this type of bloggers can cause serious havoc on social media to the point where people are deleting their facebook, twitter, and Instagram accounts to people committing suicide.

Anonymity in a perfect situation still exists

Lets say that we live in a perfect world where everything is magically great. In this world, anonymity exists. It exists in the most perfect way where people are able to do the same things that they are allowed today like search anything on the internet anonymously. They are allowed to collaborate with others and spread their ideas and opinions anonymously. Although, in this world there is no negativity whatsoever. In this world there are no trolls and there is no depression due to constant bombardment of online negativity. This is a very unrealistic world that I guarantee we will never achieve, but I say this to prove that we will always need to have anonymity in order for our society to thrive and strive to be close to perfection.

                I remember back in the day when the app ask.fm was relevant. The memories haven’t faded much since then, memories of sudden adolescent boldness and cowardice alike. It stands today as the precedent of online anonymity and its effectiveness to me. Of course, it wasn’t very effective, as it was initially advertised as a fun and flirty app, and swiftly shifted into grounds for bullying, drama, and high emotions. The thing is, the victim of abusers on ask.fm had the power to let the abuse show or not by answering the questions, which simultaneously gave them the power to feed bully’s. While I’m totally over the subject of trolling now and its perpetual repetitiveness, I now stir the argument that maybe the victim seeks attention sometimes, because I think I’ve said everything else possible. 

Trolling in my opinion has to do a lot  with how you were raised.  If people were born into a caring family which instilled morals such as love and compassion for others then the idea of trolling would have never came to be.  People who enjoy trolling have no respect for others and are what I would call immature.  What kind of an adult has the time to sit behind a screen and purposely annoy someone else just for mere pleasure?  Not any adult in my books.  WE as a whole must change the way new generations are being directed, rather than asking ourselves what we should do about trolls we should just realize that it doesn't even matter.  Just live your life and to every man his own, if you want to sit here and care about what trolls are doing and saying then thats on you, I have better things to do with my time.  Just raise your future children to respect others, it's sad to see all the disrespectful things we hear about and see online. We are all humans and we all have feelings, love yours.

Anonymity: an essential part of the Internet experience

The internet is used for many different things, and I believe one of them is the ability to post or comment while remaining anonymous if you choose to. It encourages those to do things that they may be embarrassed or afraid to say. While that may be used in negative ways and abused on the Internet, I don't feel that it is enough to warrant everyone not being allowed to have it. Anonymity can also be used in creative ways that are only possible if a user's real identity were locked behind a screen. I almost think of anonymity as seeing someone out in real life. When you see someone for the first time, you don't automatically know their name, phone number, address, or any physical features if they choose to cover themselves up. It may be easier to conceal one's identity online, but the principle is still relatively the same. Not everyone on the Internet is going to use the Internet to troll others, and neither will everyone stop going using the Internet because trolling exists. Anonymity serves all of us who want to use the Internet for one of its main purposes: to find information or give our thoughts without everyone needing to know.

How to deal with being online?

Although everyone loves going online from time to time, these sessions can sometime carry little haters called trolls. And just like how everyone is different, these trolls can hurt you in different ways. So if you aren't as keen to being bullied, I'd say either the internet isn't right for you or the block button is your best friend.
I myself haven't gone through much online bullying, but when an annoying little anon appears every so often, I am not afraid to hit the block button. Blocking people doesn't show a sign of weakness, so when trolls start barraging you with attacks don't be afraid to want them out of your life.

Anonymity, take it or leave it?

     After reading multiple articles and writing an essay about being online and anonymous, I came to the conclusion that it is a good thing and should not be taken away. Yes, many cons come with it such as cyber harassment, bullying, or even worse; however, there are far too many pros and I feel as though the pros outweigh the cons. Although there are thousands of people who abuse the right of anonymity and use it to hurt people, there are also thousands of people who use it for something productive, to help others, and to simply express themselves. It was meant to be used for positive things and people took it and made it into something negative but we shouldn't let those ignorant people ruin it for everybody else. Anonymity should always be available for anybody who is willing to use it for a good cause. 

Is being anonymous worth their time?

I always assumed that online anonymity allowed people to tear each other apart online because they felt no repercussions to their actions since they were done anonymously. I imagined that many other people would feel the same way since I am sure that many others besides myself have seen or experienced the anger or hate of someone who was anonymous online.

Anonymity is needed


Many people are focused on the fact that trolls use anonymity to harass people omline, but what most don't realize is that we need some sort of anonymity to be able to freely express ourselves with no attachments.  Without anonymity, people won't feel comfortable asking for feedback on a certain topic, regarding their personal life.  If someone were to have questions about an STD, or some other sort of medical problem, they wouldn't want all of their friends and family to know that they have questions about that.  It's all about feeling comfortable. Without anonymity, people wouldn't seek as much feedback as they would if they had anonymity.

Although I truly believe that trolling is what you make of it, if I had to chose weather it's a positive or negative, I'd probably go with positive. Reason being is because without trolling, there is no such thing as social media. Without the presence of trollers, social media wouldn't be what it is. The social media that everybody loves and cannot seem to get their minds of is the same social media filled with all these trollers invading the internet. At the end of the day, you either accept social media as it is or you eliminate trollers which changes the whole aspect of being in social media. Trolling is simply a part of social media, nothing we can do. You can't take a persons vidion and expect them to function the same, it doesn't work like that. Trolling is a function of social media that cannot be taken away. You either have social media or you don't, simple.

Why is anonymity important to us?

Online anonymity is very important to people on the internet in our day and age. As it has grown and become more popular, people have seen how it has benefited many people. However, we have also seen the negative effects of anonymity with trolling and offensive online commenting. So lately, some people think that online anonymity should not be a thing anymore. Trolling is free speech, but it is so hurtful, and it is crazy to think that people would want to hurt someone emotionally so much. People have been depressed due to trolls, and some people have even committed suicide. If something is this cruel and painful for many, why does it still exist? There is clearly enough evidence to show that people are having issues with ridicule on anonymous websites. So with all the issues and evidence, why keep the websites around?

We keep the websites because of freedom of speech and because people can say and do what they want on the internet. Without these anonymous websites, some human beings will feel that they may be losing a sense of voice. This sense of voice may only come to some people due to anonymous websites and knowing that their voice and can be heard without people seeing their face or knowing their real name. That is why when everyone asks why online anonymity is still a thing, there is always the answer that people will always benefit from being online and anonymous. Also, there will always be negative effects of using the internet to have a voice, but the fact of the matter is that everyone just has to work around that and it focus on the positives. Eventually trolling will most likely go away and will stop being an issue. For now though, the world must continue to forget about trolls and not worry about them.

Hopefully someday trolling will end for good so that anonymous online posting can become great like it was originally intended to be.

Anonymity Can Prevent Bullying Online and Offline

Wired.com has an article that tells the story of a young girl who committed suicide after being bullied. It explains how this guy - Todd Schobel - heard this "heart wrenching"  story and was "inspired to launch Stop!t, an app that lets students anonymously report bullying".  With an app like this available students and faculty can directly assist bullied students without repercussions. Students reporting anonymously won't feel like they'll be victimized if they go against the bully. Schools and corporations can get involved without financial or reputational risks. This app provides a fast, simple, worry-free way to stop bullying by giving people the opportunity to speak out against it. 

Anonymity is a Right

Anonymity is a way for someone to be private and hidden from other people online, and violating that privacy does not seem right. Just because removing anonymity might lessen the amount of trolling, it doesn't mean that it's an excuse to force everyone to be public on social media. Anonymity should be an option online because there are people who might need help from others with a certain disease. Those people have experience, and some might feel self conscious sharing their condition publicly. Honestly, removing anonymity is not going to eliminate trolls. They will find a way. Forcing people to be public online will just make everything worse, and it definitely will not help the troll problem in any way.

Anonymity is important

   Trolls will always continue to be a constant issue on the web. However completely removing anonymity will not achieve anything and will not better the behavior shown online. With or without anonymity does not have an effect on the troll. Trolls will find a way around it by using fake accounts and names, then return to what they were doing.  Despite what anonymity brings, is there really a better option to stop trolls?
   Aside from trolling, anonymity plays a greater role on the web. Many users depend on the anonymous web on a day to day basis. Anonymity has been the backbone of the web since its beginning and has inspired a world filled with new content and influential ideas. If we ban/restrict this, we would be missing out on free debate. Then for those who rely on the anonymous web seeking assistance would fear being ridiculed by others.

Many Trolls Are Not Purely Anonymous

When I was writing the essay on the topic of online anonymity, I realized that when I mentioned trolling and anonymous unruly comments, I had a hard time explaining anonymity.

My definition of anonymity is the state of being unknown to the media on the internet.  That means that you don't have a name displayed next to your comment (except names such as "Guest" or "Anonymous").  Trolls online have many identities, or accounts when they decide to instigate.  For example, go on YouTube and watch popular YouTube channels.  You'll never find troll comments from users that don't have a name; every troll has a name that you may click on to view their channel.

Of course, YouTube is not the only place where cyber conflict takes place.

However, if many trolls have registered accounts on the media, then taking away anonymity shouldn't be the debatable question.  The question is how else can we all deal with trolls, besides ignoring them?

Anonymity Should Not Be Taken Away

During these past weeks we have read a lot about online anonymity. We’ve read articles that support the elimination of anonymity and those are against taking it away. In my opinion, anonymity should not be taken away. Many believe that taking this right away will be the solution to online trolling. There is a lot of negativity that results from being able to be anonymous like harassment and stalking; however, I don’t believe that anonymity is the major factor when it comes to trolling.  The negative side of the internet will persist even if anonymity is discontinued. Sure it may be a little bit more controlled, but it won’t make that much of a difference.  True trolls will always find a way to hurt others in any form possible.  In the article, “Don’t Identify by Name but by Knowledge”, the author Annemarie Dooling explains, “With an online community for everyone out there, it is unlikely that the corporation of name will enforce better behavior; after all, cruel or troubled users can easily find others who can easily support them either on the same platform or another site”.  There is also people who don’t mind in having their identities shown when being a troll. On the other hand, people can also make a fake identity just as if it were a real one. Removing anonymity won’t be punishing those who use it negatively, but those who benefit from it and use it with a good purpose.

My Conclusion of Online Anonymity

As a result of reading so many articles focusing on the good and the bad of online anonymity, it was difficult for me to decide where I stand on the matter. Of course no one wants to have the result of being anonymous end in trauma or harassment; however, the reality of the situation is that it will always be a possibility. Just because those who troll create a bad reputation for online anonymity as a whole, doesn't mean that it should be dismissed or not exist. Those who use the internet anonymously can benefit greatly from not having their name connected to their online activity. I can't help but think about the young mother or LQBTQ person who wouldn't have a place to turn to because they may feel shame in asking questions with their identity attached to it if online anonymity was done away with. Although it is very unfair that a coward can harmfully ruin someone's life, online anonymity must and should exist. What should be done however, is a way for social media platforms or online sites to filter through comments and accounts that pertain harassment and somehow do away with those in specific. I'm not completely sure of how one would do that but that seems like it would be an effective way to at least reduce online abuse. Those who do the damage should be the ones receiving a punishment, such as a permanently suspended account or taking away their ability to comment. Although it may seem difficult to rid of the terrible things that unfortunately occur on the internet, those actions shouldn't justify the removal of online anonymity as a whole.

Are Anti-Anonymity Measures Even Effective?

To the surprise of many, history has shown that removing anonymity doesn't silence trolls.  The online community expert, Annemarie Dooling, argues that anonymity has been incorrectly misconstrued as the enemy in her article, "Forcing Commenters To Use Real Names Won't Root Out The Trolls".  Dooling mentions how many sites have attempted to enforce commenters to 'verify' their identity by linking with Facebook accounts, only to see trolls to create imposter accounts with fake names(4).  In addition, she points out that forcing users to use their real names "[makes] it very easy for predatory and argumentative users to find their targets offline"(3) in her article, "Don't Identify by Names but by Knowledge".  Therefore, not only has the removal of anonymity on these sites proved to be ineffective, they may even bloom into newer and more severe problems.  Can you think of a practical compromise?

Hand In Hand (Trolls and Anonymity)

        After reading the NYT debate articles, I would say that trolls and anonymity is an exhausting topic. That's because people are always on the fence about what decision to make about anonymity. I mean its always going to be a topic to debate about, but honestly I wouldn't want to deal with it until the time comes. Then trolls, honestly I would say you can't stop them. There will be more generations to come that will mimic the same behavior, as trolls today. Being a troll and being anonymous goes hand in hand but even after the topic about stopping them, but who's to say that hackers can get through that firewall? All I am saying is that it's not my kind of topic.

Do trolls deserve anonymity? What should we do about it?

Based on the never decreasing problem of trolls abusing the privilege of anonymity, the internet must do something to end it. Throughout this unit I have heard two different views; both of which I cannot fully agree with. Therefore, I propose a third option. This option includes a little bit of both. The first view includes taking away anonymity completely while the second says keep it because the ones who don't abuse the privilege shouldn't suffer due to trolls immaturity.  Well I say we ban the sites that don't require anonymity and be more strict on what goes up on sites that allow anonymity.

Anonymity At Its Roots

There were some Room For Debate articles pushing for the benefits of online anonymity that I wanted to talk about.

In Gabriella Coleman's "Anonymity Online Serves Us All" she hit a lot of important key points. People hear "online and anonymous" and they immediately assume the worst. It's nothing but aggression and hate examples that come to a person's mind, and while definitely a problem in our online culture, trolls are not the only ones who benefit from online anonymity.

Coleman brought up the example of medical websites that have the option of anonymity, which serves as a shield for mothers and those affected by medical issues to talk freely and openly without the worries of maintaining an online reputation. Yet another example stems from victims of hate and aggression speaking in an open forum without the pressures and stresses of their attackers finding them again.

Online anonymity, at the base of it all, is a way for people to discuss issues and the subject matter, leaving personal lives and social spheres out of the equation. It's a highlighting of pure ideas fostering stimulating conversations, and everyone is at the same level. It's about the ideas, not the people behind them. That's the purest form of anonymity, but the system has been taken advantage of, obviously.

The question is how far are media forums willing to go to protect groups from others? Is there a line media forums shouldn't be ale to cross when it comes to taking away free speech?

What Do We Want To Change About Anonymity ?

We have been talking about the pros and cons of anonymity these last few days, and read articles about many different points of view about the subject. But the real question I have for all of you is what do we truly wish to achieve? Obviously the very unrealistic vision of a perfect situation where anonymity is controlled to a certain extent and people can still be anonymous without using it for negativity is the ultimate dream, but  as I said; unrealistic. So what realistic action do we wish to enact in order to better the system? I believe that the right move for the internet to become a much less hostile place is to force a non-anonymous policy for all types of social networking sites where people seek to meet other people they know. I believe that most unbearably rude and depressing trolls come from social media sites like that; for example, twitter, instagram, facebook, etc,. Websites where anonymity is an almost must have would be allowed to continue to allow their users to be anonymous. If people encounter hardcore trolling on a forum or message board, then it is quite simple to ignore trolls because they are unable to pursue you on a website like this. No trolling on the internet is an Utopian thought, but with the right actions taken to stop trolls, we may very well get rid of most of trolling with the setting of simple rules. 

Is being anonymous worth it?

Being anonymous to me is definitely not worth it, I feel like if I'm honest up front they'll have some type of feelings of "oh he doesn't like me." or "look over there it's one of my haters." To be completely honest I can deal with somebody hating on me, and yes I've hated people to but I'm not going to sit behind a computer and say bad things about that person. What if they aren't having a good day? What if one of their family members passed? What if he slipped on a banana that day? Well you get me and I don't see why the real trolls don't. One day they will learn from the mistakes they make and grow up or maybe they won't, but we will never know because our society is what I call different , or just strange. I encourage us to all do better and spread more positivity because you never know a troll can change into whatever he wants it's just how he feels towards others or if he feel left out but that's all I got. Be yourself, not anonymous. Give me feedback. 👌

Why Be Anonymous Online?

Anonymity has always been a common method to get ideas across from person to person without giving good or bad credit to the creator. However, the question is, what is the greatest benefit that one can receive from this? First, there would be more comfort in sharing one's ideas without the vast amount of personal reprimands that one can get. With some comfort more ideas can be shared across many communities and there would be less of an impulse to listen to the comments because the commentators won't be able to personally target the creator. Alongside this, the ability to say what you want, wherever you want has always been very appealing. The "shy" people of the internet can freely express themselves without having to share their identities because it may affect their personal lives in ways that wouldn't benefit them at all. For example, an employee would be able to express their work life in both a negative and positive light, but if they were to talk about more of the negative aspects then they would want to remain anonymous so they wouldn't be reprimanded by their employer. Unfortunately, this ideal amount of comfort to post and say whatever comes to a person's mind has been taken advantage of by spreading many insults and not having to take responsibility for it. On the other hand, it is a minority of the public that takes advantage of this comfort and, for this reason. anonymity online should be allowed to remain accessible.

Why troll?

There are many things to do in life. Many of those things are usually something that are going to do help someone do something. But then there are things like trolling which happens to do the opposite. What is the point in that? What satisfaction can people possibly get from making other peoples lives miserable? Im pretty sure people don't troll for fun, maybe something happened between those people or maybe the troll has something from his or her past. Trolling wouldn't be a way to handle something like that. How can talking so much trash and being a dick behind a screen ever fix anything. Honestly, nothing in the world, (no matter how bad it is) would i ever go and troll someone.  For example in the article we read , I don't know what its called but the one that talks about the troll that fakes to be her dad. How low of a person can someone be to trash talk to someone pretending to be her dead dad? It just doesn't make since.

How should society deal with trolls?

As time moves forward, millennials are being seen as a weaker, more sensitive generation. Although this causes controversy, in some ways it is true. Trolls are anonymous people, why should they affect you? If everyone saw trolls in this way everyone would be able to brush off whatever is being said to/about them, but since not everyone grew up with technology in their life it becomes more challenging to deal with it.
So as a society, I believe that the institution that runs schools and their curriculum should take into consideration the way society is beginning to be shaped by technology. 30, 20, maybe even 10 years ago, the things we are learning about now would have been relevant, but the future is approaching the millennial generation and we have not been prepped for it.

My personal experience with a changed troll.

 While reading the article by Lindy West in class the other day it brought memories from a time where I was being trolled online by some anonymous users. It was the start of my freshman year and I had a lot of issues going on at the time. I don't know what I did to trigger someone to begin trolling me online (I certainly didn't fill out an application) everywhere I posted something  the comments blew up with negative comments by some unknown user. I tried to use all the tactics Ignore it, block it, go off social media for a while but it's extremely hard when they continue to search for ways to hurt you. I admit I did have a breakdown in class because when this certain troll passed the line bringing up my dad which was taken from me when I was in 7th grade and my grandma which passed while the trolling was occurring. Little did I know I  had the anonymous user in class because apparently  he saw me and apologized the same day. The apology wasn't great but it still meant a lot coming from the person who started it all. Who knows maybe trolls don't know or don't realize  That they are playing with the emotions of a human being when they do what they do. When they see the pain they cause they open their eyes to reality a little to late.

How To Deal With Trolls

    There is always going to be someone that has something to say about what you say or do with your life. No matter what some people won't see eye to eye with you on certain things. When people start to offend you instead of being mature and nicely disagreeing with you, do you just confront them straight up? Yes, that would work or you could have a little fun with it. For example, someone could talk about how bad you're at a certain thing, your response could be to laugh and agree with them or make a different joke. Now if it is something that offends you a bit more, a classic sassy respond will do. One of my personal favorite responds is looking at my fake watch and say " I'm sorry, I was looking for the time when I asked for your opinion." I know that it's not the most effective way to respond but I've learned to not take anything so serious.

Keeping Anonymity Fun

There are so many different ways one could handle the responsibility of anonymity. It becomes the power of freedom and raw opinion, bestowed to the participating community involved in anonymous social media interfaces. When freeing deep thoughts onto the keyboard, it could be a beautiful release of less mentioned content to the world, or nasty, belligerent comments on better things. However, that should be everyone’s right to have that choice, to freely say what’s on your mind. Nothing in life is ever perfectly good, there always has to be a dark to the light, and that’s what makes it real, and what makes us stronger. Stand up to trolls by embracing the right to anonymity and spreading the righteous flip side of trolling; beautiful writing.

Different Levels of Trolling

After reading the NYT debate articles it has given me many different views and aspects on the issue. My opinion on the subject at first was that they were just harmless little bullies behind a screen. From my understanding, trolls weren't that bad, atleast that's all that I have experienced. Although after hearing about the situation with Zelda Williams, I finally realized that some trolls are completely out of control. Milner spoke in his article that trolling is important and I do agree, but at some point we must stop the madness. We can't continue to let people get hurt from trolling. There are different levels of trolling as Manivannan said in his article. There is a specific type of trolling that I think we should get rid of and that is the trolling where people try to directly hurt someone's feelings. While we should get rid of that version of trolling and anonymity, I do believe we should keep the trolling where people give there opinions and insert there comments. This is needed to create an intellectual conversation.

Non-Anonymous Comments

https://www.google.com/amp/phys.org/news/2016-07-trolls-waive-anonymity-online.amp?client=safari

In the article above, it addresses the issue of hate comments coming from people who are non anonymous more than people who choose to write anonymously. This was very surprising to me, due to people usually write anonymously when saying something harsh towards someone on the internet. However, this just shows how people are becoming more selfish and careless of other people's feelings. The fact that people are now using their full name shows that they don't care if people respond back to them. I guess you can say that they're using their first amendment right. 

To add on, people who say these harsh comments, whether anonymous or not, should try to be more considerate and actually try and get help. These people have an actual problem and it can be fixed. Most people who troll are just getting their anger out. With help, they can find another outlet for their anger. 

Can online trolling really be stopped ?

The concept of being anonymous while surfing the internet has been taken for granted. The purpose for social media and any other sort of online website was to show people and appreciate ones experiences; however, their are very few people who went the extra step and decided to cause drama in people's lives. Having trolls in your comments can disturb people causing them to react and comment back to them. Sadly, that is what some trolls want from people, all they want is for people to have negative reactions. Sometimes these reactions motivate trolls to keep trolling people and cause chaos. Other times trolls want to cause emotional stress to people and if there is no reaction that doesn't phase them to stop. In a way these trolls find this hilarious and will continue to emotional harm to people. So how does one really stop these trolls from continuing to troll people? People would say just ignore their comments and continue on with your day , or don't pay attention to what they are saying because no matter what it is not true. That's not the deal, for certain people this is too difficult. A troll will hit certain peoples buttons just the right way and make sure they get the reaction they want.

"Let the Good Times Troll"

People have been putting quite  damper on online trolling . Despite of this, I still feel it plays a large part in our freedom of online. Not so much the trolling, but the anonymous aspect of it.  Yes, there is a countless number of individuals that take advantage of this right, but not every anonymous social media user is a troll. So why deprive this right from anonymous users that use their time on the web amiably? Therefore, I think the only credible way to combat, and ultimately eliminate all trolls is to ignore them,rather than eliminating all anonymous users as a whole.

 "Building walls only segregates the elitists of the word."- that one chick from that one article

Trolls and Anonymity

Most of the time, the answer to all pain caused by trolls is just to ignore it, or simply turn off the screen. A victim of online trolling should not let the trolls' nasty comments affect them in any way because they are just looking for trouble. Also, it could depend on how severe the trolling is or how the victim feels about it. If the victim cannot seem to let go of the situation, maybe ignoring them is not the best option. Trolling has become a problem and a threat to others on social media. Handling the problem is not easy, but it does need to be put to a stop before any more people are hurt by these inconsiderate trolls.

After reading the article "What Happened When I Confronted My Cruellest Troll," I realized how serious the trolling can be. But the fact that this troll actually apologized and owned up to their mistake is incredible. I wish more trolls were as mature as this one, even though it was immature to begin trolling in the first place.

Also, from the NYT articles, I can tell that many different people have different opinions on online anonymity. For example, some articles said that anonymity is a positive thing for certain groups of people to talk about particular issues, and some said that it is a negative thing because it allows trolls to hide from other people and the law.

O+A

Anonymity online causes more problems than its wroth. Doing away with anonymous profiles would get rid of trolling all together. The real problem isn't so much trolling as it is online harassment/ abuse. trolling has become such a broad term it has made the actual problem unclear. Also having online anonymity just gives people the capability to hide behind a wall and bring others down. The answer is to do away with it all and we'll e grand.

Many people have different views and reactions towards trolling. Some react with a laugh, others ignore it, some use it as motivation to further improve themselves, and then there are those who take it personally and let it affect them. In my opinion, trolling is all about how you view it. Anytime you are online, publishing or exposing your personal works to others, you should expect trolling to come at you. It is then up to the individual on weather or not it will have an effect on them in their future or personal life. At the end of the day, trolling and the challenges that come with it are based upon how you take it and let it affect you.

Pros of Online Anonymity

Reading the NYT Room for Debate articles has shown that there are numerous and varying opinions concerning online anonymity. Many people consider anonymity a bad thing that should be restricted, if not completely eradicated; the reasoning behind that desire being trolling. However, there are many benefits that come from being anonymous online. Gabriella Coleman's article, "Anonymity Online Serves Us All" explores the idea that being anonymous online isn't necessarily a bad thing. For example, she states, " Anonymous activists rely on the web for whistle-blowing or to speak truth to power without fear of retribution." Some people also use anonymity to participate in candid discussions about topics that may be stigmatizing or controversial without hateful replies or premature judgement. Online anonymity gives people a way to communicate and share their experiences/opinions in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

Anonymous Posting is not Frowned Upon Just Because of Trolling

So far, in this class (or at least in the second period alone), the topic of anonymous posting has been associated with the topic of trolling.  However, have any of you ever wondered what other acts of incivility lies within the field of anonymity?  Unfortunately, it's not just trolling, it also involves "deadly traps".

An example of this is this anonymous post on a forum (I blocked out some parts of the post):

As you can see from this tiny picture, there is a shiny crystal that was formed as a result of a chemical reaction.  The anonymous poster said that this crystal can be homemade with a few basic household items.

However, what people didn't know was that the chemical reaction involved in the making of these crystals were deadly to inhale.  As a result of this post, many unsuspecting people died from this "experiment", and it was all because of an anonymous poster.

This internet event may very well be considered trolling, but it is too related to terrorism to be considered trolling.

Trolling and a Possible Solution

   Many internet users have been exposed to trolling whether you have experienced it yourself or through the use of social networks. With the amount of trolls and the chaos they bring their way, it is quite difficult staying away from it. It could possibly stray someone away from using any form of social media. Despite this, you shouldn't let trolls discourage you from using social media.

   How to deal with a troll: You shouldn't. Rather than lashing out on trolls, you can just ignore them. Don't acknowledge them or lead them on because it will only cause further problems. However avoiding the situation can be somewhat difficult, knowing that many of their comments or posts are intended to be hurtful and negative. As opposed to arguing back and giving them what they want because of a random provocative comment/message/post, one should just move on. If a troll can't get a response from a person, there is no purpose for a troll to continue.
   
   

Does online anonymity benefit anyone? 

Being anonymous online has many pros and cons to it, of course most of us see the bad side to it due to trolls.  Being anonymous online benefits those who want to speak off a certain topic, but don't want to get attacked by those who disagree.  Many also argue that political debates cannot be taken to the highest level without some type of anonymity.  I guess you could say that some people like to use anonymity as a shield to protect themselves from anyone who could potentially harm them because of their beliefs or opinions. Anonymity benefits anyone who isn't comfortable discussing their ideas publically. 

Can anonymous trolling be stopped?

Trolling has seemed to become a big issue as of late on the internet. Trolls have been taking advantage of online anonymous forums and blogs to hurt people for no reason and to make people feel bad about themselves. The problem with trolls hurting people like this is that they usually will not stop until their victim deletes their account on that website. So now people are basically being forced off of these forums that were meant to be positive. The problem with trolls though is that they are not in the wrong when they criticize and hurt internet users. They are just using their first amendment right to free speech, which raises the question of can trolling be stopped?

If we're being honest, the answer is no because we are aloud to say whatever we want on the internet. Some websites do regulate trolls and may remove accounts that have been associated with trolling, but that does not stop the problem. The troll will not stop and will just create a new account, so it seems there is no end to trolling. If trolling became illegal, it would be a violation of our Constitutional right to free speech. Some people would argue that, but some may argue that it was a different time when that amendment was made. There was no internet and there was no such thing as an anonymous troll that would hurt people to the point of committing suicide and being depressed. I am sure there was criticism back in the beginnings of our country, but I'm not sure that it would have been as bad as trolling is now-a-days.

Many of us wish that anonymous trolling could stop, especially the victims. At this very moment, I think as much as some may try to end trolling, it will not happen. The Constitution protects us from losing free speech, so we are stuck with trolls for now it seems. The best thing we can do is pretend in our minds that trolls don't exist, do not egg them on, and that victims and non-victims will avoid and not have to deal with trolls. Maybe someday trolls will not be around anymore, but all we can do for now is hope.

Pros of being online and anonymous
     Although there are many cons of being online and anonymous, there are definitely some benefits. Being anonymous allows you to do something that many people don't do much anymore, it allows you to be yourself. When you're anonymous, you are able to openly express your opinion on things without being judged by others. The majority of people are too scared to be judged in real life so they aren't honest about half the things they say/do in person. There is a significant difference between being anonymous and being a troll but being anonymous isn't always a bad thing. 

The Blurred Lines of Trolling

     I follow a decent amount of news media on Twitter, namely CNN and The New York Times. Pretty much all of their articles are able to have some opinion formed based on them, and since it's Twitter, people are able to leave those comments directly under the tweet without even reading the actual article. Every once in a while I'll see a headline that instantly tells me how people are going to react to it, and when I check the replies, they're not the best.
     Since I'm on Twitter and I already wasn't doing anything productive, every once in a while I'll check someone's profile to see what they're like. Usually the more inflammatory people have bios that sound something like, "I'm not afraid to offend you" or "The First Amendment protects me." Bios like these could only come from people whose opinions deliberately aggravate others.
     And yet, they're not exactly trolls. To me, a troll is someone who, regardless of their own opinion, makes a post to get a rise out of others. These are people who actively seek out and plant their own opinion wherever and whenever they can simply because they want to say how they feel. It doesn't seem like they look for a fight to pick- the fights just come naturally. And most of the time, two of these people with opposite opinions meet each other, latch on, and never let go. It's interesting to see.

Room for Debate

Through the room for debate articles it’s clear that we all have various opinions about trolls and the roles they play in society. Some think they are a nasty parasite that needs to be stopped while others think that they play a critical role in our system. There is only one thing that is clear though and that being that no matter how big of a role or small there always going to be there. We may come up with systems of trying to stop them but all in all they'll always seemingly find there way through the cracks. So here’s my advice to you, embrace them. There is no getting these people completely so we might as well make them so what useful to us. People are always saying that they only cause harm but could they also promote good? Could we use their relentless mannerism to our advantage? These trolls are known for one thing only and that is to cause harm but maybe just maybe we could change that.

reasons to stop anonymous blogging

Blogging anonymously is a dangerous “game” to play in the internet world. Anonymous blogging is a blog without any acknowledged author or contributor. These actions caused by this type of bloggers can cause serious havoc on social media to the point where people are deleting their Facebook,Twitter,and Instagram accounts to people committing suicide. I think anonymous blogging should be gone from the internet. No good comes from this type of posting on social media. People are getting hurt left and right without them knowing who's throwing the punches. To me blogging anonymously is a just a waste of time like there is really no point to add chaos to the world, there's already enough of that. I believe if you have a problem with someone you should say it face to face instead of behind the screen. Another reason blogging should not be anonymous is the blogger who is causing havoc have the freedom to post negative comments without repercussions. So this makes some people want to join social media then more people would join to the point where your best friend could be the one hurting you on social media without you knowing. There is absolutely no point having this type of posting on social media. There should be an app where you can see who’s posting these negative comments, this could be a way of ending all types of anonymous blogging for good.

What should we do about trolls?

At first, it's easy to think that the pros of the internet heavily outweigh the costs.  Why do people leave the internet over online trolling?  After all, in order to receive the attention of hateful trolls, you must be someone who is getting a lot of love and support too, so you can just look past the negativity, right?  Well, it's a lot more complicated than that.  Yet our society continues to recycle the same solution:  Ignore it.  Looking at our recently viewed examples, it's often hard to look past some of these individuals who have crossed the line.  And why should they?  I don't have to challenge someone's right to say to say that something isn't right to say.  Now this tongue twister has brought forth the question of how to deal with trolls who dwell shadows of the internet.  Most proposals have been either inconvenient or ineffective.
What do you suggest is the answer?

Thoughts on Trolling

     After reading the article "What Happened When I Confronted My Cruellest Troll" by Lindy West, it made me think about the problems of society, which is where to draw the line on opinions. So where is this imaginary boundary line? Troll's run outside the line. Online they comment on any ideas or on good readings that might get in the way of their domination, not to mention the part where they are like humans just with no sense of humanity. They will comment on your ideas and try to ruin your day. So how is it that every other person is able to see the line, but not trolls? After I fathomed the question for so long, I came to my conclusion. It's because troll's are the darkest parts of society. Unable to see the light (or the line cause it's dark).
     Don't get me wrong opinions are not the problem we have, the problem is that sometimes we take to extremes (and sometimes they're not even opinions). I bring this up because online there are thousands upon thousand of comment threads that bring up good points of the article or outlines the bad parts of it, but sometimes people need a good check point that reads" Remember it's just a thought, no need to make spam comments", because it's true some people will start making outrageous comments that aren't even entitled to be on the comment thread.

Main point of this: Know where to stop as far as opinions go.
   

The Cost of Being a Troll

Trolls are putting a lot on the line when they commit the harmful acts they pursue. As I was reading the article "Free Speech Doesn't Protect Cyberharrassment" by Danielle Keats Citron, I became aware of the many charges a troll can face if they are found guilty of their actions online. Maybe that's why trolls go online anonymously, because if their name is connected to those hurtful acts, they can face punishments such as months or years in prison or jail. However, because your name is anonymous or not shared with the world doesn't justify the fact that what a troll does is wrong. Those who find pleasure in leaving harsh comments on other's posts are doing something completely immoral. Sometimes the victims of this online abuse are mentally traumatized about what happened to them, leading them to potentially press charges on their attacker. These charges can range in severity of punishment, a few of them being cyberstalking, sexual invasions of privacy, and bias intimidation. If that's the case, is putting that unnecessary comment worth the potential punishment that one will have to face for their actions? Is having that crime connected to your name for your future employers or friends to see worth it? I do not know anyone who would agree with those. Sure, it's not the easiest thing to track down these "criminals"; however, with a rise in technological advancements, maybe sooner rather than later will it be easier to find the people who ruin people's lives by hurting them with words, pictures, or videos. And when that time comes, the punishments will not be worth it.

anonymity

Anonymity. It’s a word that more than often is followed by a  condescending tone, however, many fail to see the good side of it before jumping directly into the bad. Yes there are ignorant and uncultured people who take advantage of online anonymity to cause harm to people or to express their opinions in inappropriate forms. There’s really no solid way to stop these people, even if we can get one to stop, two more are bound to pop up. This doesn’t mean that every person with some form of anonymous identity is out there to harm others. What of that mom who could use a little help parenting but is too embarrassed to ask? What of that kid who’s going through something for the first time? What of that one person sitting alone on a bed who’d just like to know there’s other people like them out there. What of that writer to be with a whole universe in his or her head, only they’re too afraid to claim that universe as their own? As much strength as an anonymous “I hate you” has, an anonymous “I love you” has that same strength if not more. We can’t completely ignore the fact that someone will sit at their desk for hours on end thinking of the latest way to hurt someone, but honestly, what can we do? Respond to them in the same manner? Give them the satisfaction of seeing us hurt? Spend a day thinking about someone who probably forgot what they said? We have to take that same power they have to hurt and use it to help those who need it, who find strength in it.

Trolls vs. Cyberbully

When I think of a troll I immediately associate them as cyberbullies. Trolls and cyberbullies do share similar characteristics but have many differences. In the article, “Difference Between a Troll and a Cyberbully” the author, Micah McDunnigan discusses and differentiates the purposes, aims, and goals of cyberbullies and trolls. A troll is defined as a person who constantly pop up in common threads in order to cause trouble and get a rise out of people. The author points out that the main purpose of trolling is to seek attention, “They want to shift attention from the author’s content and conversations about the content onto themselves.” On the other hand, a cyberbully is someone who makes mean comments in order to spread rumors or embarrass another. While trolls are usually anonymous and are pretty general on who they attack, cyberbullies have a specific victim in mind. According to McDunnigan, the main goal of a cyberbully is to “demean and hurt their victims.” A trolls aim is to seek attention on themselves, but a cyberbullies aim to draw negative attention on their victim.

             Do you think one is worse than the other or are they equally as intense? I think that both cyberbullies and trolls can cross the line and get out of hand, but in my opinion, trolls may be more intense when it comes to their victims since they are anonymous most of the time.

Troll...Trolling...Trolled

 

Whenever I hear the word "troll" I instantly think of Twitter. I think of people who have nothing better to do with their time but annoy and harass people from behind a screen.

Bottom line: trolls are bullies.

It's quite a simple concept. Trolls are punks who will talk...type and hide behind a username all day long but would never have the guts to do it to your face. I've never had to deal with a troll...directly. Meaning I am guilty of biting the bait a troll has laid out there. Especially on Twitter and especially when it's concerning something or someone I really care about. The “troll” didn’t even need to be directed towards me; I guess you could say I should’ve just minded my own business, but oh well.

Other than that, I’ve never really been “trolled”. I think most people who are trolled are people like celebrities and people who are in the public eye a lot. They’re considered to be desirable targets for trolls because trolls want that same amount of attention.

More popular the victim, more popular the response.

 

 

 





Anonymous Blogging

Anonymous blogging is the secretive posting on social media. Why does it exist? It is often that people who blog anonymously also post about subjects that are either embarrassing or hateful. People find that anonymously blogging provides them with a cloak of invisibility in means of identity. When people discover the freedom and power they have when being able to spread their word without worrying about the consequences, they often take advantage. I'm sure it is safe to say that the majority of people who constantly use the World Wide Web have at least considered taking advantage of the anonymity of certain social media platforms. Being able to say your absolute and honest opinion on a subject without having to worry about being judged? Sign me up. Though not all people who blog anonymously are using it for negativity, it is safe to say that as long as anonymous blogging exists, the people who do use blogging for negativity will continue to take advantage. In order for society to really minimize the amount of negative activity that happens online.

We must try to eliminate all social media websites from having a type of anonymous blogging and instead, insure that all accounts are made to show who the person is and that nothing is anonymous. Only then will the people of the internet be safe from possible anonymous negativity online. The promotion of non-anonymous blogging will ultimately help prevent negativity from being spread on the internet.

Why is being anonymous good?

In this world, we have made mistakes that we are not very proud of. Sometimes we need help but we are too ashamed to tell a friend or a family member. This is where you can go on the handy dandy internet and ask. You don't have to be ashamed because you do not have to use your real name at all. Staying anonymous is good because it can help you ask questions or even answer questions without anyone knowing who you are. Since people use fake names, more people will talk about their problems and how it's affecting them. There are many people who think about suicide or are addicted to something and they want help but for whatever reason, they can get help from their family. Now there are programs where you can ask for help and it has helped save lives of people all around the world. Staying anonymous is something that has revolutionized the way we use the internet. Even talking to someone, by using usernames we never have to be worried about our safety (but still be aware of who you talk to on the internet). Bing anonymous has revolutionized us as a society, and it's a good thing.

The Troll Epidemic

Almost simultaneously rising with the complexity of social media interface, the population of trolls has truly been a burden on the World Wide Web. It’s as if a single troll spawns three more following every vulgar post, which is doubly aggravating as they encompass the majority of popular websites. Yes, it is clear that this issue is formidable, but to put it to a halt, we must first understand the internet troll. From my experience, most of the smack I’ve seen talked by them revolves around a recurring theme of obscene crudeness against the popular opinion. Now, this leads to two outcomes, the first being equal or greater backlash, and the latter being a double digit number of dislikes, which in turn also makes it show up in the top comments for everyone to see. Whichever way it happens, the troll always receives attention, and I’ve decided that that is exactly what the trolls are seeking. With this is mind, the solution to the troll epidemic is simple; do not feed the trolls attention.

                

Black Mirror's Take on Trolls

   Alright, so this isn't necessarily an original idea from me on the subject of trolling or online anonymity, but it was a really interesting concept that has to do with it.
   There's a show on Netflix called Black Mirror that takes general concepts of technology (ex. social media, robotics, artificial intelligence) and screws with them so that it creates this sci-fi dystopian situation. In one particular episode, a teenage boy is doing personal stuff on his laptop when he suddenly receives a text from an unknown sender. The sender threatens that they will release video footage of his scandalous act unless he complies with their commands. The embarrassed boy complies, resulting in him leaving his home and making his way to a parking lot, where he receives a mysterious box from a stranger in the same situation as the boy. The boy then delivers the cake to another stranger, and they both must take the cake with them to a location they don't know the exact details of. The location turns out to be a bank, and in the box is tools to equip them for an armed robbery. The boy must rob the bank, then they both take the money to a secluded area. They both receive a text saying they must fight to the death for the winnings. The boy wins. As he walks home, the boy receives a final text, which is nothing more than a troll face. The boy then receives a call from his crying mother, who received the video of the boy's embarrassing act despite his compliance.
   I know I spoiled the episode, but it's still worth watching, and there's a lot more episodes that are just as interesting and just as compelling.

When Trolls Troll Too Much - Shutting Down a Troll

Many of us, being users of the internet, have seen trolling often whether it be on Facebook, YouTube, and possibly different Blogspot websites.  Usually, trolls - just like bullies - choose victims that they think are weak and unprepared for trolling.

However, sometimes trolls may take their trolling too far.  Take this Twitter user, for example.  Sarah, a young teenager decided to troll the well-known company known as American Airlines.  She stated that she was "gonna do something really big":

When she posted this tweet, American Airlines quickly responded to the troll, giving her the attention that she probably didn't have in mind.  As you can see, Sarah's location was tracked down and as you can predict, she was investigated by authorities.

This incident shows you that trolling is not the best way to spend your time on the internet.  It also shows you that just because many trolls get away from trouble doesn't mean that all trolls will get away.

Ideally, you shouldn't troll on the internet.  You'll never know if your victim can find a way to get you in big trouble.

Trolls haven't ruined the internet.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/bc.marfeel.com/amp/www.nationalreview.com/article/439198/internet-trolls-can-be-avoided?client=safari

In this article it gives the definition on trolls and what they do. It explains that trolls are those who come into a online topic and brings negativity onto that topic. The article also brings up the question, who are these internet trolls behind the screen? Most of them have normal lives and everyday jobs but online they are a whole different person. The author Joel Stein bring us the term "shape self" which is his name The darker, crueler side of a person's personality or nature that they usually try to suppress. This is the side that most internet trolls would hide in person, but now since there's the internet and the idea of being anonymous, they have the route to exerting this character. They have a chance to show their real personalities, without a consequence. The author also bring up the idea that they aren't some junkies and drug dealers taking over the public park. He explains that everyone who uses the internet has the option of ignoring the comments and/or waking away. I agree with the other I'm ignoring these trolls. Giving them attention only makes them act out more, they're attention seekers.

Why trolls troll

I believe trolls troll because they have nothing else better to do. They have no life. I also feel that they only hurt people or try to hurt people because they've gotten hurt before.  They could've had a hard time as a child or currently going through something and they decide to take their anger out through trolling. I'm not saying that it's the best way to take their anger out but it's a possibility for why they do what they do.
To add on, trolls actually make people hurt themselves physically, such as suicide or cutting themselves.  Trolls have no consideration for other people's feelings and that is selfish. They don't care what they're comment would make someone do or think of themselves, they just worry about how they feel after they are done. I think a way to stop this is to just stop responding. I know some people are not as mentally strong as others, but if you don't respond, it shows that you don't care and that you are not affected by it. This would overall make them stop and try and go on to another person.

Internet Trolls

When the word troll comes to mind, I immediately think of someone who does things for the sole purpose of sabotaging or aggravating another person. An internet troll is someone who says things online to ruin something or someone's post. I think that online trolling is a waste of time for anyone, and that people only do this to make themselves feel better about themselves by putting others down. Anonymous trolling is not okay, and there are so many cases of it on twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media. I do not understand why someone would post a derisive comment just for fun, so they can watch everyone argue on somebody else's post. It just doesn't seem right. Anonymous trolling on the internet is wrong, and sometimes it can get out of control.

Our society is one with many problems. Some of which are completely foolish. One, for example, is internet trolling. This is were unintelligent individuals who have nothing better to do with there life make fun of and bring down other people. This, to me, makes no sense. Life is to short to spend making others feel bad. This problem is only rising and there aren't many ways the internet is combating this. The only way I feel this problem can be done away with is that if people who see this happening stand up for those being bullied. I do not believe that taking the anonymity away from people is the answer to the problem. This would just create outrage for those who aren't abusing this privilege. The answer is that the internet must shut people like that down before they can push someone of the edge. The next time any of you see this happening, just stand up and defend whoever is being attacked. this is how we can fix it. This doesn't only apply to the internet, it also applies to real life.  

Thoughts on Trolls and Online Anonymity

Trolls exist for the sole purpose of creating chaos. That's what they feed on. Disorder fuels them, the thrive on the feeling of stirring emotions and pay no attention to the carnage. They love the attention their thoughtless often hurtful comments bring, and they eat up the responses they get from people who are quick to pounce before stepping back and understanding the situation and the obvious troll behind it all. We're fueled by our emotions for the most part, and our reflexes and defense mechanisms to protect those emotions and opinions are easily controlled by trolls. That's the reality that we live in.

And we can only go so far to block trolls from existence on the internet without taking away personal freedoms when it comes to posting how we feel. And there are some relatively harmless cases of trolling that attack opinions or world views, but the issue transforms into something much uglier very easily. The Zelda Williams case shows us as much, as do online bullies targeting an individual's appearance,  adding into the toxic culture of body shaming and negative self views that poisons our society and leads to disorders and death. How many more people need to get hurt, PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY scarred before they realize their effects?

But that's the problem, they DON'T. They won't. The difference between internet trolls and the people affected by them is the sociopathic behavior and mindset we see in trolls. They feel no emotion, realize no emotion. It's a game.  The internet is a screen, the avatars they respond to are fake, and nothing is real because they don't see and experience the effects of their words in real time. That's the issue.

Don't feed the troll

As an avid internet user for the last couple of years, I've seen many different forms of trolling and how people react to it. Many tend to be "salty" and argue with the person who is trolling, and usually trolls will continue with smart comments which will cause others to want to continue the comment train. This type of negative response is what trolls want, and they enjoy seeing others overreact in ways that they themselves cannot take very seriously. Trolls thrive because their comments and actions gain so much unneeded attention. The best way to deal with trolls from my experience is to ignore them. "Don't feed the troll" as I put it, don't give trolls the attention that causes them to eat off of it and grow. You can block or mute certain users that serve no other purpose than to annoy you or others. By ignoring trolls, you effectively starve them out, and their power and motivation starts to diminish. It's not very hard to deal with trolls, you simply just have to do nothing to make them want to continue.

Along with dealing with trolls, I'd also like to think why trolling is an issue nowadays. While it can be simply people who want to cause trouble for other people, it can also be an experiment for how us humans tend to react in certain situations. Trolling can also serve as an exploitation of today's society, which has become more politically correct and safe, and you have to be careful not to offend anyone about pretty much anything. Trolls are the ones who disapprove of things like this, and as a result they use those as their grounds for incivility. Perhaps this is a weakness in our society, and if people weren't "triggered" or offended as easily, trolling may not be as much of a potential problem as it is now.
Maybe the problem of trolling is one that's self-imposed on us. WE'RE the ones that are causing it to become a problem, and WE'RE the ones that encourage the trolls to gain more power. Every time a trolling account is banned, or a user blocks the troll, they feel that they have won. Every news article that is written about trolling spreads its influence and encourages them to try harder. Completely ignoring the issue is what might solve the problem, don't treat it as a serious Internet problem, just random troublemakers who have nothing better to do. Of course, it's hard not to ignore it in severe cases like Zelda Williams, but at that point should it be considered trolling? Or a different thing entirely, like cyberbullying?  Either way, the issue on trolling is something that we perhaps allowed ourselves to happen, and the main thing causing it to grow is our insecurity.

*sigh* Trolling. A first world problem, but it is still relevant in today's society.  People are subjected to degrading comments via social media, it happens everyday, but it is your decision as to whether or notsomeone will  let these comments affect them negatively, or to simply just ignore them. "Trollers" feed of of attention, that is merely the only reason they exist. They post a negative comment and just watch everyones reaction. So ultimately, if we don't give them attention, then they will stop commenting. This way the basic rights of other commenters aren't taken away, it allows them to comment as they please as long as they don't hurt anyone's feelings. Never the less, if the people who are affected by negative,anonymous comments simply ignored the, trollers wouldn't even exist. My point may be biast in a way because I have never experienced the "wrath" of online trollers, but by what I've seen on the internet, I believe I could make a fair judgement on how this "trolling" situaton should be handled.

Should the Public be Concerned about Online Trolls

       An internet troll can best be described as a person whose intentions are to use the anonymous web to his/her advantage to be a nuisance and create violence/chaos. They are usually driven by others' frustration and distress to satisfy themselves. However being anonymous doesn't necessarily mean that one usually posts aggressive or rude comments, someone could just argue their own opinion about a certain, sensitive topic. Online trolls post hostile remarks to encourage others to join in and cause even greater pandemonium. As more and more people will continue to use the media and post online about touchy subjects, there'll be an even greater amount of trolls engaging in the comments. And when will people take initiative to remove anonymous posting and to what extent is it necessary?
     As the amount of online trolls continue to grow, should people be worried about what will happen to the media in the future. Perhaps there should be certain limitations to restrict people from commenting wherever to cause unnecessary attention. This will allow for a minimal amount of trolls on the web and limit them from causing any trouble.

Trolls are a waste of time

       My definition of a troll are those small ugly creatures who live under a bridge but Ms colln laughed at me said we are talking about the internet trolls. I did not know what an internet troll was. For those who who are like me here is the definition. Trolls are people who starts arguments or upset people by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community. To me trolling is a just a waste of time like there is really no point to add chaos to the world, there's already enough of that. If you have a problem say it face to face instead of behind a computer. People have actually killed themselves because of cruel trolls.
       We shouldn't have anonymous post anymore for example, that one app oggle or oogle and ask.fm. These apps were very uncivil but i'm not going to lie sometimes it was funny but most times it was not. "It quickly morphed to refer to the monsters who hide in darkness and threaten people...Trolls are turning social media and comment boards into a giant locker room in a teen movie, with towel-snapping racial epithets and misogyny” (TIME). This is a perfect example on what a troll is and what trolls do to society. You could use your time wisely by finishing up homework, beat someone in 8 ball pool, or hang out with your family and friends. So that is why i think trolling is a waste of time for you and the reader. Say it face to face,period.

Just Ignore the Trolls

Trolls are nothing more than ignorant people looking for attention. They pry and subject themselves into other people's business, they may have no correlation with. Trolls get their buzz off of the satisfaction of hurting someone or at least irritating them, a trolls variation on why they do it may vary but the results have come to somewhat of a conclusion of just getting under someone's skin. The only way that I see this problem going away is to just simply and plainly ignore them. Put up a front, “talk to the hand”, Hasta la vista, however you want to put it. The simplest comment back to a troll keeps the momentum going for them to continue with their work, but if you ignore them there is nowhere to go from there. They would basically have to start responding back to themselves if they wanted to keep it up. Trolls are a nuisance to society that talk big behind a screen and not at all in real life. Maybe that’s the problem, many people keep to themselves in reality that when they get behind a screen they let it rip because one no one knows who they are and two people can’t target them. There the ones that no one suspects, that no one would even think would do it, there the hidden society, hiding in the darkness. Much like the fantasy trolls do. The only way to get rid of these miscreants is to shun them for ever existing and sooner or later they have to give up, right?

Why do internet trolls even exist ?

Honestly I don't know why internet trolls even exist. Who has the time, energy, and mind-set to sit behind a screen all day and make fun of people, hurt their feelings, and threaten them. I would much rather be out doing fun stuff and hanging out with friends or napping or something. Also, how can you be so mean to someone without it bothering you. I mean I know people have their problems and sometimes take it out on others but you should never be mean to someone or make fun of them especially while being anonymous. 

My thoughts on trolls...

When I hear the word troll, two very distinct images come to mind.  The first is the fuzzy and yellow creature from Dora, the second is someone who abuses the internet's anonymity as a means to spread chaos without fear of penalty.  To find a YouTube comment section without disorder from ignorance or arrogance is to find a four-leaved clover.  The most awful of all are those who go out of their way to spread hate.  Yet we shrug and call them trolls.  Such nasty creatures they are.  They bar bridges for the sole purpose to make everyone's life harder.  While I can understand it's easier to say something mean behind a computer screen where the connection to the target is so impersonal, I can't seem to wrap my mind around the pure hatred certain people have shown.  I've witnessed a complete stranger actually take the time to make an entire twitter account dedicated to harassing my best friend.  Someone actually took the time out of their day to tweet a totally random fifteen-year-old, "You look prettier when you cut yourself".  Just.  Why are you??  I pity the sad, sad life you must have to be so senseless.  The worst part?  Trolls are actually people like you and me.  Sure, they're blinded by some sort of mad desire for turmoil, but at the end of the day, they're just people attacking other people.  So just like we've learned from Dr. Phillips, we need to achieve peace between one another if we want to stand any chance against online trolling.

How would you deal with an internet troll?

The way I would deal with an interenet troll is by keeping a sense of humor.  Of course, the things they say about me would hurt, but they can't know that or it would just encourage them to continue!  I feel like if you just can't ignore them, then go along with what they say and make it into a joke, I bet they'll feel dumb for even trying to put you down.  If that doesn't work, or you're just not funny, then you could simply block them and act like they don't exist.  If that still doesn't seem to work for you and it's getting serious, then you could try reporting them to your school's principal or a police officer, to see if they could do anything about it.

Why do trolls even exist?

Trolls are people that we could all live without in this world. All trolls do is ruin lives and make people feel bad about themselves for stuff that they do not need to feel bad about. I have never understood why people would want to hurt others so much, because how is that fun? I know personally, I could never hurt someone intentionally on the internet, or in person to the point where they may delete their social media accounts. I feel like trolls have insecurities and issues in their lives, so they ruin other people's lives in order to feel better about their own. That is so bad however, because people deserve to have a life without ridicule. You never know what people are going through in their lives, and for trolls to still put down people like they do, it is sick. It is especially sick when someone has a death in the family and trolls target that, like when Zelda Williams was attacked by trolls after the death of her father. It is terrible that someone would be so heartless that they would attack her on twitter like many trolls did. That is not funny whatsoever, and it is not appealing at all. If someone thinks that making people feel bad and depressed is funny, they need to think again. Trolls are so disrespectful that I honestly wonder how they go about life knowing they are slowly crushing people's minds. Trolls are using their right to free speech, but they should still know better than to make people feel sad and depressed when they do not need to feel that way. I wish trolls could be stopped, but everyone does have the right to say what they want, so unfortunately we will be stuck with them for a while longer.

Why be a Troll?

Something that I've always wanted to ask those who harmfully use the internet to troll people is why? Why waste your precious time to hurt someone? Why bother someone you might not even know? Why perform actions that cause consequences not to you, but the ones you hurt? People have taken advantage of the fact that one can post something without any connection to their name, which can lead to commenting hurtful messages without any consequence to that person. I believe at one point posting things anonymously was supposed to be a positive thing; however, as time goes on, it turns out there are more cons than pros. No benefit will come from hurting someone. If you need to say something harmful to make yourself better, there's a deeper problem there. A troll wouldn't like it if the rolls were reversed. So until there's a better understanding of the need to post something so unnecessary, I'll continue to ask why?

Internet Trolls Explain Why They Do What They Do

http://www.alternet.org/media/internet-trolls-explain-why-they-do-what-they-do

This article is actually really interesting. It gives direct quotes from different Internet Trolls explaining their reasons for trolling online. Some do it as the "old version of trolling"... a form of trolling that "used be playful but annoying, a sort of virtual, comedic performance art with the end goal of getting under the skin of a selected online audience."  Others troll for things like "attention, boredom and loneliness". 

Is it possible to eliminate online trolling?

            Online trolling is becoming a more serious problem as time goes on. The purpose of trolling is finding “humor” in terrible situations and joking around, but sometimes trolling can turn into harassment. The comments meant to be jokes are taking too far and can cause serious consequences. In the article, “Internet Trolls: What to do about the scourge about the web?” the author, Nick Thompson discusses possible measures that can be taken to reduce the presence of trolls. Thompson explains that some sites such as Facebook have put in more effort to eliminate hateful comments. The vice president of Facebook, Marne Levine clarified, “In recent days, it has become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work effectively as we would like...” Eliminating the rude comments still will not reduce trolling. The author later suggests that taking away the ability to comment anonymously will lower the trolling rate. I agree that this is the method is the best way. If people aren’t allowed to hide their true identities they are less likely to be as cruel as they would be under a fake identity. However, there are some people who don’t care and would be equally as cruel to someone’s face and behind a computer screen. I don’t think eliminating online trolling completely will ever be possible, but taking away the anonymous aspect is a good start.

It's a Science? Trolls.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3408616/Internet-trolls-sadistic-psychopaths-kick-abusing-people-online-Video-reveals-traits-cause-people-post-mean-comments-web.html

The link above is actually an article. Its about the science of web trolls. Read it. My opinion about it is that it's spot on. It just goes over the basics of how the mind works with trolls. Almost like a science. It goes on to talk about the three traits that troll's have which are technically being a sadist, a narcissist, and being psychopathy (if that's even a word, they use it in the article). It's very informative.

College: Decisions...Decisions

 

Question 1: Should I go straight into a university after high school or go to community college for a few years? 

 

     I feel like there's no right or wrong answer for this question because when it comes to college there is no one way to go about it. Everyone's path is going to be different. For some it might benefit them to save all the money it takes to go straight into a University and just study at a community college. Especially if they cannot afford to pay the expense of a University or they aren't positive which major and career path they'd like to take. On the other hand, if you can afford it and you are sure about the path you wish to take then attending a University right after high school might be what is best for you. Community college just slows down the whole graduating from college process a bit. So you've got to take a look at your situation and figure out what would be best for you.

 

Question 2: Would majoring in art/design/film be a waste?

 

     It's only a waste if you choose to make it one. Someone could major in business and end up being a middle school teacher; that could technically be considered a waste. You know yourself better than anyone else so if you believe you might possibly want to pursue a career that has to do with art/design/film then go for it. Your college education is for you; not for your parents, teachers, friends, or siblings. Personally, I know that a career in film, both behind and on camera, is absolutely what I want to pursue in life. It feels pretty awesome being this sure about something. I use to be ashamed to say that's what I wanted to do in life. I would tell people I wanted to be a lawyer or something because I thought what I really wanted to do was silly and more of a dream than something real. But not anymore. It is a dream, my dream, and I'm going to work to make my reality as well. Go after what you want.