Essays: December 2006 Archives

When I was six, my parents went on a trip to Norway while I stayed at my grandparents. My Mom brought me back a Norwegian troll. The thing was hideous. She told me unlike the mean troll living under the bridge in the Three Billy Goats Gruff ; Norwegian trolls were nice and friendly.

The real trolls are Norwegian trolls
Photo: Courtesy of SNS products

She also told me that my troll would watch over me. It looked too scary to be nice, but I still put it on my shelf with the notion that it would be my "protector" during the night.

Therefore, because of my Norwegian troll, I grew up with the concept that trolls were good. Internet trolls, however, are for the most part, generally bad. I'd like to maintain my naivety and just keep believing trolls are good, but with the rise of the bad internet trolls, it's putting a damper on my "good troll" image.

Internet trolls are rapidly hacking into other people's business at an alarming rate. The whole point of an internet troll apparently is to make computer life hell for the person they're disrupting. All an internet troll likes to do is roam the internet undetected and stir up trouble for people. Sort of like standing under the bridge and making trouble for the Billy goats that want to walk across.

I've personally never dealt with an internet troll (knock on wood), but so many people have that there's endless websites about how to spot a troll and what to do after you become victim to a troll.

The craziest thing is that this is such a big phenomenon/problem, the American Psychiatric Association has officially recognized and included in its fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Internet Troll Personality Disorder as an official mental disorder. My mental picture of an internet troll is of some creep who lives in their parents' basement and just surfs the internet making trouble all day. Of course they're scruffy, dirty, smelly and overweight.

So as of now, I can't really complain about internet trolls affecting my life. I'm sure once they find me, I'll be checking the how to help get rid of trolls website. For now, I'll just keep thinking of a troll as my Norwegian buddy, who still stands on my shelf to protect me at night; not an internet creep with internet troll personality disorder.

We've all seen them -- those nasty little comments at the end of an online news article or editorial. Some aren't so bad; others beg to be removed entirely. And while most people dislike, to some extent, "internet trolls," I'm hear to fight on their behalf.

Beware: troll!
Source: Creative Commons

Caution: I do not pretend to support and/or condone any comments that are hateful, mean-spirited, or otherwise unwarranted. I do, however, promote the idea that there are different types of trolls and certain comments can cross the line.

For those unfamiliar with trolls, or how to spot them, I recommend this site, which will walk you through some of the tips for identifying potential trolls. Not all trolls are bad. Some are designed merely to entice a reaction, maybe an unfavorable one, but a reaction nonetheless.

Where trolls get their bad name is from the posts that ridicule, insult, and otherwise harass certain people or groups, particularly the author of a given story. If a particular post is intended to hurt, then it is not necessary and should be removed. Just because a post takes an unpopular stance does not mean that it should not be considered. There are always at least two sides to every story.

Many would argue that the best way to get rid of trolls is to ignore them. Sure, this might work, but is easier said than done.

In the end, it is important to protect the rights of all user comments, as long as they are posted in an appropriate way. Yes, we are destined to deal with "trolls" on the internet forever, and rightfully so. Interaction among readers is a great learning tool. We should use it to the best of our ability.