Remember, most trolls don’t know that they’re trolls. In fact, most of them think they are making the world a better place by "calling you out on your BS".
I disagree with this.
Calling people out on BS is a very important part of having a coherent conversation. People tend to box themselves into a single POV. You need to break their frame if you want to move them.
Sometimes you can do it gently, sometimes you need to use a bit harsher language. But calling out BS is the first thing anyone should do when they see cow shit being peddled as chocolate.
I'm proud to say I'm guilty of just about every behavior on here. That doesn't make me a troll. Nor does it make me a Troll in denial, nor does it make me someone who "is a troll but just doesn't know it yet".
It makes me someone who has opinions and is prepared to defend them.
But it means I am also able to listen to others in the process. I do what I do, because I see problems in the world and I assume most people are rational.
Even if they don't listen to me directly, at least they aren't shouting into an echo chamber and they know that someone is out there who is willing to listen intently instead of just nodding in agreement. Someone who will deconstruct the idea, find it's flaws and try to help shape something better.
Even if that means getting passionate about it.
So here's the deal. What makes a troll isn't actually any of these behaviors. They're perfectly normal behaviors to engage in, even in polite discourse.
Trolling is all about intent.
Literally a troll is someone who is just trying to be a dick. It's a form of mental rape and these girls and boys have control issues. They literally get a rise out of making you feel what they want you to feel. It is a form of satisfaction that borders on the sexual for them. Don't answer them except to say they added nothing to conversation and are now being muted. Then mute them, unfollow them and ignore them. Others will do the same and eventually the troll will move onto other places they can get their satisfaction from.
Provoking negative emotion and adding nothing to the conversation, is all that makes a troll a troll.
This is vastly different than someone who is willing to be passionate showing you negativity or postivity, while trying to voice their dissent.
I urge you to reconsider your stance because by the definitions stated here, I am a troll in nearly every comment I've made on steemit including several you've upvoted and somehow I don't think you meant that.
Nice post though!
I feel triggered ... stop harassing me! Abuse! Stalker! =b
Great comment! =)
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
You disagree with what exactly? I simply wrote what reason a troll would give for the way they behave when trolling. I'm not saying that calling people out on misleading information is a bad thing. But the way that a troll would put it is "I'm just calling you out on your BS" which is a triggering statement to make.
Making a triggering statement is never going to move a reader to consider your POV. A triggering statement is designed to trigger the emotional side of the reader, making it more likely the reader will shut off their logical side. You can call somebody out on their BS without actually saying this. And by not saying this the reader is less likely to become defensive of their bullshit and might even consider your POV.
I wouldn't be proud of trolling tendencies. They are inherently a flaw within ourselves. You have every right and responsibility to defend your opinions. The troll way to do it, is to word things in a way that completely disrespect any views that oppose their own. You will find it harder to reach a person this way.
You may well be somebody who is good at listening to the POV of others, but you can't predict that the person on the other side of the screen is too. This is why I say imagine each person you encounter to be your elderly neighbour or somebody you would not wish to harm with the manner you speak, because we forget that even when we credit ourselves with being more logical than emotional, the person on the other side of the screen is highly likely to react emotionally to triggering phrases such as the ones listed.
I agree that trolling is about intent. But it's not always a conscious intention. It is possible to intend to provoke an emotional reaction from somebody so as to make it more difficult for them to coherently respond with their more logical POV. This is a subconscious way of trying to get the upper hand in an argument. Everybody believes their argument to be the more important or correct one. So we all want the upper hand in defending it.
Some trolls possibly know that they're trolls though. I have never met one to admit it.
I'm sorry I won't be reconsidering my take on this. I don't consider you a troll. I believe there is a little troll in all of us, and to kill the trolls we have to kill the troll within.
@beanz Fair enough I can respect what you're saying.
Perhaps it's the way it's worded the second time around, but the first time around didn't seem as clear as in your reply to my comment.
Thanks for bringing the topic to the forefront anyways.
I don't like to make a post too long or detailed with my opinions so I'm grateful that you brought it to my attention that it's not all that clear.
Hopefully those reading will read the comments here and get a better understanding. I don't wish to make anybody feel like I'm accusing them. The paragraph about "signs you are dealing with a troll" are just phrases a troll would often begin with before an argument escelates into hurtful intentions. Then the real trolling begins. I'm not saying anybody who uses them are trolls. But I do consider them phrases that could be said more respectfully.
This reply is as good as your post. Really appreciate this issue being brought up and I will work to squash any trolling tenancies within.
I agree about the flagging just creating more problems because of retaliation. Unfortunately it seems at this time that the flagging is being done exclusively by trolls, if AI ones. Any suggestions on how the mechanics of that can be improved to favor those who are working to avoid the troll within?
This is the most recent take on that issue that I could find. Perhaps you could write about the issue in the hope it would reach the attention of somebody with a solution.
Discussion and even responsible disagreement are not only healthy but IMPORTANT to evolution and the sharing of ideas. Though there is a big differce between someone who is a Troll and someone who is communicating healthy disagreement.
Its very easy for someone who is online a lot to spot a troll. If you your self are not a troll then disagreements will be logical and reasonable.
For 1 most of the posts I disagree with I just don't UPvote or respond to as most people are posting to share their opinion VS receive others opinions. Yet when I do disagree I do it with respect to everyones opinion. It is easy to see if someone is open or not. If they are not I don't try and change anyone.
I'll upvote a comment i disagree with if it's well thought out and compelling, or at least makes an attempt to be compelling. :D
Well, there sure is a lot of B.S. on steem. A steemian first jos is to filter it out.
To find troll, you should think like troll, became it...
Really, is it simple because you don't need to detect troll, your are satisfied or not.
If not, why you are reading that post?
And it doesn't matter was it made by troll or not.