INTERNET TROLLS: IGNORE, BLOCK, AND REPORT

Every person has at least been victimized once by those that are called internet trolls, on various types of social sites, some with faces and some without faces. Definition of an internet troll: “An Internet troll is someone who posts offensive, controversial, or divisive material on an Internet community.” (What is an Internet Troll? http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-internet-troll.htm.)

An internet troll’s purpose is not to socialize, make friends or love connections. A basic discussion on any topic to them is an open invitation to cause a hate storm or the internet troll will create his/her own post to get other people into fighting with them and each other. They will completely go off topic and attack someone on just about anything they write. Your blog or forum could be about kittens and puppies, the troll will turn it to a hate fest.  An internet troll will attack someone’s biological sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, political views, appearance…their goal is to start augments and hate between other members on the social website. The purpose of the attack is to cause infighting and to target one member at a time, getting other members to attack the individual too.  These attacks will happen on your posts and comments, other people’s posts and comments, and through your email (through the website’s email or even your own personal email, if they somehow get it). Internet trolls will support things like sexism, racism, homophobia , classism or even subjects like pedophilia, human trafficking…to get a major rise out of those that have basic human compassion and empathy for other human beings. Their goal is either to make it so unpleasant that an individual leaves or even deactivates their profile or they fight back against their horrid treatment and break a rule of the group or social website. All the while the troll is enjoying the drama that they have started, getting members to hate each other and the internet troll will keep saying things to fuel the flames of discord.  In both ways the troll has won, the victim is gone and then they move on to their next victim. This is a sport to an internet troll.

Most of these internet trolls will have multiple profiles both having a picture profile and/or various faceless profiles on a social website that have little or no information about the member, this is a red flag. These internet trolls will disappear and reappear in another persona or various personas to wreak havoc again, over and over. These internet trolls will break various rules of the site and are banned only to come back as someone else. Most social website will try to control this extreme behavior by banning them from the social website but some social websites NEVER punish them for these violations because the moderators are NOT doing their jobs or the owners of these social websites believe the drama brings more members in, like an online parody of the Jerry Springer show, anything goes.

I have experience this behavior and seen others being attack also. Recently, I have been in Facebook groups and other social media sites that have NO control over the hundreds of internet trolls that have attached themselves to these groups and sites like life sucking barnacles. These trolling members attack daily on these groups and sites getting people kicked out for responding to their bad behavior because administrators will not stop the harassment and in fact some administrators are internet trolls themselves. The minute you become a member the trolling begins. It starts with inappropriate attacks about anything you say, your sex, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, political views…are also attack, and sometimes emails for sex or hate messages are sent, personally attacking you all over again. These internet trolls would attack me and get valid members also to attack me. This created an environment that I could not interact with anyone without the internet trolls attacking them or me on the posts and blogs. The moderators were not doing their job or enjoyed the drama, either way it ended on one singles website a few years back with a man writing a homophobic death threat blog against me and I was the one kicked off the social site for making him mad. Fun times indeed.

So since not all social website and groups have good moderators. And some owners of these websites enjoy the whole Jerry Springer online parody and the internet troll behavior. Members of social website need to be the vehicles of change for basic human decency on these social websites. And remember disagreeing on a subject should not be a reason to attack someone viciously about their biological sex, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, political views, appearance…this is an off topic internet troll attack.  This is a disagreement not a war, always remind yourself of this, internet trolls want to be entertained.

Steps To Stop Internet Trolls:

Ignore an internet troll if possible. I know this is hard because you feel the need to defend yourself or another person. But this is what the internet troll feeds off of. DO NOT feed them. Let them go on their meaningless moronic rant and know that you are more mature than they are.

Block an internet troll whenever possible. Yes, the internet troll and their best friends will attack you like rabid psychopaths on their own and other people’s profiles and blogs but ignore them. On some websites like Facebook they cannot see you and you cannot see them, which can be a blessing or a curse because you do not know what they are writing about you (which could cause you more issues with other users). But blocking them is still the healthiest thing you could do for your own well-being and creating a safer space for your thoughts and opinions and also on most websites with a blocking feature it blocks them from sending you nasty little private messages. DO NOT feel bad about blocking an internet troll they DO NOT want to be your friend only your enemy and they ARE NOT looking for a love connection either. Make them move on. Remember a social or dating website or group is not a battlefield; people join to meet friends and maybe find a romantic connection and to have adult sharing of ideas, information, and non-hateful discussion. Concentrate on that, not them.

DO NOT allow internet trolls to attack someone on your own profile, group, blog, website… Just delete their comments and block or ban them if possible and tell people to ignore their comments if they appear while you are offline and to report it to either you (if you are running the main site) or the person running the main site. If the internet troll has no outlet for their hatred and controversy, they will leave the website. Because that is the only reason they became a member in the first place, to start trouble.

Report an internet troll. Most social websites have real rules that are enforced but there are some that do not. But always report. Yes, we know it probably will have little impact on these social websites that like Jerry Springer online parody behavior. But if enough people show they are tired and disgusted by this behavior it may be stopped. The fear of financial loss can make “the powers that be” make changes very quickly. Money talks make them listen.

If an internet troll threats you in any way, saying that they can harm you in the internet world or the real world. Report them and change all your passwords on emails, social sites, and other internet based outlets, including online banking. Some internet trolls are very technologically savvy and can hack into any account on the internet. If you find out someone has hacked into any of your accounts, report it to the authorities and give them the information of where you believe the hacker (A.K.A internet troll) found you. If you have trouble in the real world and feel you are being stalked physically, report it to your local authorities and give them the information of where you believe the stalker (A.K.A internet troll) found you.  Social websites can be dangerous, especially ones that t have NO real safety measures. You must watch out for yourself, online harassment can go into the real world.

Internet trolls are like the ghost in the system, most are faceless fake accounts made especially for trolling, to harass, degrade, and cause trouble for people online and even in the real world. Be your own Ghostbusters and protect yourself, which in turn, protects other people, making the internet a more pleasant environment for everyone.

CYBER-STALKING: THE DANGERS

The majority of the population now that use social networking websites including  Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, MySpace…, view them as a way to have harmless communications, interactions, and connection with relatives, friends, business associates, and new and old online acquaintances (the contemporary version of the pen-pal). Social networking websites let an individual maintain contact with family and friends, that may reside across the country or the world, without the cost and aggravation of long distance telephone calls and basic mail (also referred to as snail-mail). They can share thoughts, pictures and albums, videos, instant messaging, and e-mails. These websites also allow a person to interact in groups that share their same interests, find a prospective companion, and to meet people from around the globe, without the expense of travel. Social networking is like a virtual community for many people, giving them supportive interaction, entertainment, fun, and a place of belonging. But like the physical world, there is a dark side to these virtual communities, with unanticipated dangers that can turn out to be very real and very frightening. Unfortunately, a good number of patrons of social networking websites either do not comprehend these dangers or ignore them all together, putting themselves and others in jeopardy, one of these risks is cyber-stalking.

Much like stalking in the physical world, you can find various types of cyber stalking on the World Wide Web. These behaviors can escalate into very real physical dangers, which can put the victim and those close to the victim in danger. “Stalking refers to harassing or threatening behavior that is engaged in repeatedly. Such harassment can be either physical stalking or cyberstalking” (Are You Being Stalked? https://www.privacyrights.org/are-you-being-stalked.) Stalking in the corporeal world usually begins when someone becomes infatuated or wants to cause harm to another individual that they have known in the past or someone that is a total stranger that they have crossed paths with. The same description is true in the social networking world on the Web; the victim of cyberstalking may or may not know the person who is following them over the Web. The stalker may be someone the victim knew in the past, like a classmate, a past love or even a friend. They also may be a complete stranger that has found them through their interaction on a social networking website and its various connections including online groups, pages, chat rooms, and walls. Stalking can have many motivations including obsession, hatred, discrimination, retribution, predatory behaviors (including pedophilia and other sexual deviance), harassment, and straightforward bullying. Stalkers can be male and female, young and old, and of various ethnic and religious backgrounds. A victim of stalking can be male or female, young and old, Jaishanker and Uma Sankary state: “…a victim may be a member of a targeted minority group or special group” (Jaishanker, K. and Uma Sankary, V., Cyber Stalking: A Global Menace in the Information Super Highway).

Obsessive stalking can be based on delusional sexual attraction or perceived friendship. The obsessive stalker can be someone that the victim has rejected as a friend or a suitor in the past, either in the real world or online. The stalker sees this rejection as unacceptable and a personal insult. Not wanting to terminate the connection to the victim, the stalker will force them self into the victims life. The stalker wants the victim to recognize the importance of their perceived ongoing relationship. Jaishanker and Uma Sankary state: “Their behavior is characterized by a mixture of revenge and desire for reconciliation” (Jaishanker, K. and Uma Sankary, V., Cyber Stalking: A Global Menace in the Information Super Highway)). The obsessive stalker also can be someone that has become fixated on another person that they have never met before or only interacted with in passing. They will perceive a connection of affection with the victim, when there is none. Even if the victim rejects them, they will believe this person is in love with them or that they are their best friend.

A stalker can be a sexual predator, looking for innocent victims male and female, adult and adolescent. “They are motivated purely by the desire for sexual gratification and power over their victim” (Types of Stalkers and Stalking Patterns, Sexual Harassment Support, http://www.sexualharassmentsupport.org/TypesofStalkers.html.) They will use social networking websites to find their victim or victims. The predatory stalker may get on the victim’s friends list, slowly befriending them over time, trying to gain their total trust.  In some cases the stalker will try to be the center of attention and interaction when the victim is online, in other cases they may interact more in the background, studying the victim. Like the obsessive stalker, the predatory stalker will try slowly to get the victims information including email address, phone numbers (home, cell phone, and work), physical address, where they work, and if possible other places the victim goes, either through the victim themselves or through their friends. In the case of predatory stalkers that are pedophiles that are looking for children, they will pretend to be other adolescents looking for friends online, having a fictitious profile. They may also pretend to be an adult that wants someone to mentor, making the adolescent feel important and comfortable with their friendship. The predatory stalker will get the victim to meet them somewhere, at this point the cyber stalking or cyber hunting in this case, has become a physical danger, and has entered into the physical world, it no longer is behind the safety of a computer screen. Though, this type of stalking is the least common, it can be the scariest and scar the victims for life emotionally and physically.

Cyber bullying, one of the most common forms of cyber stalking, can include psychological intimidation and personal conflicts. “Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power or strength”(Bullying and Cyber Bullying, InSafe, http://old.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/safety_issues/faqs/bullying.) The victims of bullying and cyber bullying can be adult and adolescent. The bullying may have started at the victim’s school, college, or place of employment. Its motivations can also be sexist, racist or homophobic, which is also listed as a cyber-hate crime. The harassment can include gossip and rumors, hate speech, and the sharing of unwanted pictures and videos to embarrass the victim. Though, the victim may get threats of bodily harm and even death from their stalkers, the biggest risk to some victims of cyber bullying is themselves through the form of suicide. On September 22, 2010 “…18-year-old Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge after his room-mate, 18-year-old Dharun Ravi, and an accomplice, 18-year-old Molly Wei, allegedly streamed a videotape of Clementi engaging in sexual activities with another male on the internet. Clementi left an ominous and heartbreaking goodbye message on his Facebook profile before leaping to his death; his body was recovered several days later. Ravi and Wei have since been charged with invasion of privacy, jailed, and released on bail” (Three Young Men, Three Suicides, Three Cases Of Anti-Gay Bullying http://www.wgnradio.com/news/top/ktxl-news-gayyouthsuicides0930.) Like Tyler Clementi, victims of bullying (physical or online) can feel so embarrassed by the harassment, and the feeling of being a victim, they may not get help until it is too late.

Many stalkers and cyber stalkers have some type of mental illness or psychological problem, and may have been abused in some way themselves in the past. The predatory stalker may be repeating this pattern of abuse on to their victim. Obsessive stalkers usually lack basic social skills to interact with the people around them, so they become obsessed with someone who is unattainable, thinking that somehow this will change in time. That their victim will become their friend or true love, this fantasy is very real to them. In the case of the stalker who is a bully, the victim is always someone the stalker sees as a threat or someone that has a perceived weakness.  The effects of stalking in all its forms, can last a lifetime for its victims and their family and friends. National Center For Victims Of Crime states: “Victims of cyber stalking often experience psychological trauma, as well as physical and emotional reactions as a result of their victimization. Some of these effects may include: changes in sleeping and eating patterns, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, anxiety, helplessness, fear for safety, and shock and disbelief” (National Center For Victims Of Crime, http://www.victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center.) In the case of a victim being physically assaulted, murdered, or committing suicide, the healing process may never come.

A person can never truly stop stalking or cyber stalking, but they can take precautions when social networking. Never give too much private information about yourself in your profile and never put photographs up that may show an address, license plate, or other indicators of where you are. If you are going out somewhere, never put this information on your profile, this gives a potential stalker your location. Always keep your profile set on “private”, this makes it harder for a stalker to get into your information and the information of people on your friends list. This protects not only you but everyone in your social networking circle. Never accept a friend request from a total stranger, though they may be harmless just looking for social interaction, you can never be sure. Always use caution when joining online groups, organizations, and fan sites and if an online poll or quiz site asked for too much information avoid them. Children and adults should be educated not to ever be lured out somewhere to meet a stranger; this is the most dangerous part of cyber stalking, where it becomes a potential physical threat. Even if you take all these precautions, you may still become a victim of cyber stalking. “The reality is that both cyber stalking and physical stalking can lead to a physical attack. Always get help quickly, document all stalking incidents and take precautions to protect yourself” (Are You Being Stalked? https://www.privacyrights.org/are-you-being-stalked.)