Redefining of "internet trolling" by the media

RussJK

One thing I've noticed recently is that the media seem to be redefining 'trolling' from what I've always known it to be.

A troll was someone who joined a chat room or discussion/usenet forum and basically trolled for reactions in various ways.

Some of the trolls I've seen over the years were quite clever in how they acted as a catalyst in starting flame wars between other people. They were able to get people arguing and step back to watch the fireworks, without many being aware they'd been 'trolled'. An easy example would be to ask an 'innocent' Mac vs PC question in order to divert discussion away from the topic. The less obvious they were, the better they did their job. Other styles would be to directly engage posters in illogical 'debate', letting the other person get incensed by deliberately misunderstanding the points they were making.

The job of the troll was to say something so deliciously wrong or controversial that at least one person would 'bite', thus starting the chain of events.

Often a troll would really be one of the forum members in disguise. Most were harmless, just wanting a laugh without a great deal of malice - although there were genuinely nasty ones as well. Sometimes forums were destroyed by overly effective trolls.

Not every anti-social act committed on the internet from a supposed position of anonymity is trolling. When I see 'internet trolls' mentioned in the news, it always reads like it was gushingly written by someone who has heard of the internet but never actually used it. They just don't get it IMO.

Trolls didn't stalk certain people and make death threats, that's a cyberstalker:
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Troll-tweets-death-threats-comic-star-s-children/story-13349429-detail/story.html Dom Jolly death threats

Trolls didn't engage in campaigns to defame companies as far as I'm concerned:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-29/-trolls-who-complain-online-have-anonymity-targeted-in-british-lawsuits.html

I suppose technically this example was trolling on thinking about it, but it's more cyber-bullying:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/13/internet-troll-jailed-mocking-teenagers

Sure, some trolls do/did target the same individuals in forums, but that's different to harassing them over emails/IM/facebook.

An internet troll is just the internet equivalent of a wind-up IMO, and anything more malicious or targetted than that is bullying or stalking - because it IS bullying and stalking.

What do you think?

pcombo

What do you think?

Your bored maybe?

RussJK

pcombo wrote: »

Your bored maybe?

Should be "You're bored"

Dave_C_2

You expect accuracy from the media?

Your average reporter just uses the internet to cut and paste stories, and only then if his mates have told him about it on facebook.

Dave, cynical

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Dave_C wrote: »

You expect accuracy from the media?

Your average reporter just uses the internet to cut and paste stories, and only then if his mates have told him about it on facebook.

Dave, cynical

Ah so thats what the 'C' stands for. .I always imagined it to be 'Chips'

spannerzone

RussJK I think you're probably spot on.... the media still often report the Internet as though it's something they've read about or seen via a friend's PC..... like pretty much all media reporting, if you're involved in the story or have a good technical understanding of what they're reporting about then you can pick so many holes it just makes you become very cynical about any news story.

The 'Internet' is a great new baddie for the media.