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.
This sounds so good! I love how the "moral" of the story is that trolls will pretty much always win. As long as they're around they'll have the upper hand. That's why there should be ways to control them because I doubt we'll ever truly rid society of them. In a way, I feel like society is partially to blame for them. Maybe if we didn't give trolls all that attention then soon enough they wouldn't find trolling so amusing. Or maybe if we had actual lawful punishment for trolling it wouldn't be so popular. Not to say that all trolls should be punished by law; in many cases that would just be a waste of the courts time. But when it comes to trolling that is serious like what the boy in the show encountered, then something should be done.
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