Social Networking

Trolling or Cyberbullying? Or Both?

Is trolling another form of cyberbullying?

Posted January 28, 2014

Is trolling a form of cyberbullying? There sure are a lot of similarities. Both are explored in more detail below; you can be the judge and the jury. Are they one in the same or two totally different things? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Trolling

Trolling

Trolling is internet slang for a person who intentionally starts arguments or upsets others by posting inflammatory remarks. The sole purpose of trolling is angering people. It has been compared to flaming in cyberbullying. Plus, many people who troll think what they do is an "art". They frequently hide behind a cloak of anonymity. The symbol for trolling is a black and white drawing of a face with a mischievous grin, which is symbolic of the expression someone is making while trolling victims.

Purpose

To be a source of entertainment for the troller
To be offensive and argumentative
To derive pleasure from annoying the hell out of others
To scour the internet for bait (a.k.a. you)
To get attention
To feel powerful
To gain recognition
To upset the victim

What to do if you've been trolled:

The best advice for dealing with being trolled is to ignore rather than engage with a troll. In other words, "Please do not feed the trolls."

Cyberbullying:

Cyberbullying is deliberate and repeated harm inflicted through using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies, or mobile phones.

Purpose

To get revenge
To feel empowered
To gain popularity
To harass and threaten
To be offensive
To humiliate
To intimidate
To upset the victim

What to do if you are a victim of cyberbullying:

What to do if you are a victim of cyberbullying:

Don't respond. If you don't respond they may get bored and search for another victim. Plus, if the person who is cyberbullying is anonymous, responding will do no good because these individuals don't know when to stop.
Block the person(s). Change your social networking settings to prevent the person who is cyberbullying from accessing your personal information on your profile. If need be change your user name and passwords.
Keep a record of the derogatory remarks, just in case you need them as evidence. So save screenshots, posts, etc. that you can use in the event that you need to take it to the next step, i.e., legal action.
Be selective about what you post. Don't post information online that someone can use against you.

What to do if you have been victimized by trolling or cyberbullying:

Report it: If you are a teen tell a family member or another trusted adult about what has happened and how it is affecting you. Next, report to site providers. How to report abuse on some of the most popular social networking sites can be found by activating the links below: