Internet Trolling

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Internet troll copyright: search engine journal Julia Mccoy

Internet trolling refers to the act of intentionally posting inflammatory, off-topic, or otherwise disruptive messages in online forums, discussion boards, or social media platforms with the primary intent of causing chaos or inciting a reaction from other users. Trolling can take many forms, including but not limited to: flaming, baiting, and gaslighting. Trolling is often done for the purpose of getting a reaction or attention, and not necessarily to contribute to the conversation or discussion at hand. A Pew Research Center survey published two years ago found that 70% of 18-to-24-year-olds who use the Internet had experienced harassment, and 26% of women that age said they’d been stalked online Trolling can occur on a variety of online platforms, including forums, social media sites, and video games. It is often characterized by the use of anonymity, with trolls often using fake identities or pseudonyms to avoid being held accountable for their actions. It can have consequences for the individuals targeted by the behavior and for the wider online community, and it can contribute to a toxic online environment that makes it harder for individuals to feel secure and confident in sharing their opinions and ideas.

Terminologies in Trolling

Flaming

Flaming is a type of online behavior that involves the use of excessively hostile or inflammatory language, often with the intention of provoking a reaction or starting a conflict. Flaming can take many different forms, including personal attacks, name-calling, and the use of offensive language. In some cases, flaming can escalate into more serious forms of online harassment and abuse, such as cyberbullying or hate speech.

Gaslighting

In the context of internet trolling, gaslighting refers to a tactic in which a person deliberately tries to manipulate another person into questioning their own perceptions or beliefs by presenting false information or denying the truth. This type of trolling is designed to sow confusion and distrust, and it can have consequences for the mental and emotional well-being of the person being targeted. It is often easier for perpetrators to hide their true identities or manipulate information in ways that are difficult for the person being targeted to detect. This can leave the person feeling confused, disoriented, and unsure of what to believe.

Baiting

Baiting is a type of internet trolling that involves deliberately posting inflammatory or provocative content in order to provoke an emotional or reactive response from others. This type of trolling often takes the form of inflammatory or controversial statements, pictures, or videos designed to evoke strong emotions such as anger, frustration, or fear. The goal of baiting is to get people to engage in arguments, fights, or heated discussions, thereby fueling the trolling behavior and attracting attention.

Inting

Inting is a term used in the gaming community to describe a behavior in which a player intentionally throws a game or acts in a way that negatively affects their own team. This type of behavior is often seen as a form of trolling because it is intended to provoke an emotional or reactive response from others, often with the goal of causing frustration, anger, or disappointment. Typical inting behaviors include deliberately feeding the enemy team, intentionally dying or making mistakes, or sabotaging objectives or goals.

Video Game and Trolling

Popular Streamer and Toxicity in Game

Tyler1 copyright: wikipedia 2021 twitch rivals

Tyler1, also known by his online handle "Tyler1," is a popular streamer and professional player of the popular MOBA game League of Legends. He is known for his high-energy and often controversial streaming style, as well as his skill and proficiency at playing the game. He has a large following on Twitch, where he streams his gameplay and interactions with his audience. He's also been banned in the past for his toxic behavior in the game but later on Riot Games lifted the ban after he showed good behavior.

Tyler1's rise to fame was fueled in part by his trolling behavior, which involved deliberately inciting anger and frustration in other players, as well as making inappropriate and offensive comments. His aggressive play style and abrasive personality quickly made him a polarizing figure in the gaming community, with many people finding his behavior entertaining, while others viewed it as toxic and damaging to the online community. The problem reported by the community of players and some streamers is that if streamers and professional players being toxic and trolling in game is not a huge problem, then it is unlikely for anyone follow the protocol and be polite to other players.

The Mechanism of Counter Trolling in Game

The counter trolling system implemented for League of Legends focuses on abusive language or negative in game behaviors. The system is detecting if there are words relating to racism or if the player is having negative behaviors such as staying AFK and feeding enemy. Players who know the bottom line of the system can avoid getting banned. Soft inting such as playing with inactive or negative behaviors would not be punished unless it is reported and verified by real human. The credit system in game acts as a positive motif for the players to act politely toward others. It rewards players with icons and other in-game benefits. Players who keep a good record will show their high credit level to others. The system had a success in reducing the level of toxicity in game, but some players still complain that the system is being very harsh to even slightly negative words or behaviors. It takes much more games to get the credits back when a player act negatively in game, which demotivates players when they have been good for a long period of time.

Competitive Games and Ethics issues behind

Competitive gaming refers to playing video games against other players in a competitive manner, often with the goal of winning. Addiction to competitive gaming, also known as "gaming disorder," is a condition in which a person becomes compulsively engaged in playing video games, to the point that it interferes with other aspects of their life. League of Legends perhaps is one of the examples on the competitive game and ethic issue, as its ranked games are believed to be competitive especially when it gets to high elo. It is believed that the games in high elo are more toxic than low elo games. Researchers have found out that the dopamine rewarding system correlated to the game results. If players are on the winning side. They will get dopamine rush in their head every time they land a kill, hit a skill shot, and by the time the game ends the player's head would be full of dopamine and they usually feel thrilled. On the other side, if the player is losing, then it is unlikely to get the feeling of dopamine rush in head as they are winning. Once player lose, they will feel exhausted. Those losing players tend to queue up for one more game and they are more likely to flame teammates who act not as expected. For some individuals, the effects of in-game flaming can be particularly pronounced, especially if they have a history of mental health issues or are particularly sensitive to negative comments. In some cases, exposure to in-game flaming can even trigger panic attacks or other forms of acute distress. Moreover, the anonymity and distance of online gaming can make it easier for players to engage in negative or flaming behavior, as they may not feel accountable for the impact of their words. This can lead to a cycle of negativity, as players continue to engage in harmful behavior, causing harm to themselves and others.

Social Media and Trolling

Twitter and internet censorship

Twitter's enforcement of censorship policies has been inconsistent, and this is leading to debates about the role of social media companies in regulating speech online. Some argue that Twitter has a responsibility to enforce its rules to ensure the safety and well-being of its users, while others argue that the company should be more transparent and consistent in its application of these policies, especially when it comes to political speech, and it is best for the company to try minimize the amount of censorship placed on content.

Trolls on Twitter are individuals or groups who deliberately post inflammatory or off-topic messages in an attempt to provoke others into an emotional response or to disrupt normal on-topic discussion. They often use fake or anonymous accounts to conceal their identities and can spread hate speech, misinformation, or other types of content that violate Twitter's policies.

The prevalence of trolling on Twitter has been a major issue for the platform, as it can create a hostile environment for users and undermine the integrity of public discourse. It has been reported by researchers that training modern Artificial Intelligence on Twitter would end up an AI with a lot of trolling behaviors and stereotypes. In response, Twitter has implemented several measures to address the problem, including improved tools for reporting abuse, increased enforcement of its policies, and efforts to limit the visibility of troll-like behavior.

Reddit and Karma System

Reddit is a social media platform that allows users to submit and vote on content in the form of links or text posts. The platform has a unique system of rewards called "karma," which is intended to encourage high-quality contributions and positive behavior. In Reddit's karma system, users receive "upvotes" when other users like their contributions, and they receive "downvotes" when other users do not like their contributions. The total number of upvotes and downvotes determines a user's overall karma score, which is displayed next to their username. Karma is intended to serve as a measure of a user's contributions to the community and is often seen as a symbol of status and reputation on Reddit. However, the karma system can also be used to manipulate the visibility of content on the platform, as users can upvote or downvote posts in order to push them to the top or bottom of a subreddit's page.

Despite its flaws, the karma system remains an important part of Reddit's culture and community, and is often used to help determine the quality and relevance of content on the platform. By rewarding positive contributions and discouraging negative or off-topic behavior, the karma system helps to maintain the integrity of public discourse on Reddit..

Psychological Reasons behind Internet Trolling

Anonymity

The anonymity feature of internet allows one user to hide their real identity. Comparing to real life talking and discussion, there are a few differences causing people more likely to act aggressively. First is that online activity lacks consequences to users. When the individual is anonymous, they feel less accountable toward their actions and words and they do not face the consequences for negative behaviors in real life. Low punishment reduces the cost of troll behaviors, and people might behave not as who they are in real life. Secondly, there is disinhibition effect taking place when people are using internet. Such effect encourages people to behave more freely and openly compared to real life. As a result, internet users would engage in behaviors they would not do otherwise. The increase in confidence and perceived power gives internet users a false perception about their control over the situation. In this case, internet users feel emboldened to express themselves and they are less conscious of the potential negative effects of their behaviors.

Attention Seeking

Some individuals engage in online activities for reactions from others, regardless it is positive or negative. The motivation behind can be a desire for validation, recognition that they feel hard to get in real life. Negative in-real life factors such as being lower class or uneducated reduce individual's chance for positive feedback from others. The boosted sense of satisfaction from attention caused by online trolling reinforced individual's reliance on internet trolling, which makes individuals addicted to the feeling.

Sadism

Sadism refers to the enjoyment of causing pain, suffering, or humiliation to others. It is a type of behavior that is often motivated by a desire for power and control over others. In the context of online trolling, individuals who engage in sadistic behavior may enjoy making others feel distressed or uncomfortable, and they may do so simply for their own amusement. Sadists often lack empathy for the people they harm, which can make it difficult for them to understand the impact of their actions. Sadistic behavior can contribute to a toxic and hostile environment, which can have negative effects on everyone who is involved, including those who engage in the behavior. Sadistic behavior can go against social norm, and be characterized as illegal.

Notable cases and incidents for Internet trolling

Gamer Gate

In 2014, a group of gamers engaged in a sustained campaign of harassment and abuse against female game developers, journalists, and other women in the gaming industry. The harassment was largely coordinated through social media and forums, and became known as "GamerGate." The origins of GamerGate can be traced to a blog post by a programmer named Eron Gjoni, in which he accused his ex-girlfriend, game developer Zoe Quinn, of having a romantic relationship with a journalist in exchange for positive coverage of her game. This false claim was seized upon by certain individuals in the gaming community, who used it as a rallying cry for a larger campaign of harassment against women in the gaming industry.

GamerGate was notable for the widespread and coordinated nature of the harassment, as well as the use of social media and forums to amplify and spread the message. The campaign led to a larger conversation about issues of gender, diversity, and representation in the gaming industry and beyond.

QAnon and Conspiracy Theory

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that first emerged on the internet in 2017. It believes that a secret cabal of high-level government officials, celebrities, and business leaders are plotting against U.S. President Donald Trump and are involved in a global child trafficking ring. The theory is based on cryptic messages from an anonymous person called "Q" who according to himself to have high-level security clearance and inside knowledge of these events. The QAnon conspiracy theory has been widely discredited by experts and has been labeled as a potential threat to national security by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Despite this, QAnon has gained a significant following online, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The spread of QAnon has led to a number of real-world incidents, including violence, harassment, and intimidation of individuals who are perceived to be part of the alleged conspiracy. It has also been linked to the January 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol building, as some of the participants in the attack were reported to have been QAnon supporters.

Leslie Jones and the Ghostbusters controversy

In 2016, actress Leslie Jones was the target of a sustained campaign of harassment and abuse on Twitter after she starred in the all-female reboot of the movie "Ghostbusters." The harassment included racist and sexist comments, as well as threats of violence. The abuse was widely condemned and led to increased attention on the issue of online harassment and the role of social media companies in addressing it. Jones was subjected to a barrage of racist slurs and comments on Twitter, many of which were directed at her skin color and physical appearance. Trolls released Jones' personal information, including her phone number and email address, which led to a further wave of harassment and abuse. Moreover, many offensive pictures that dehumanizing and insulting Jones were spread online.

Ways Society changed for Ethic Issues of Trolls

Social media companies taking action, companies like Facebook and Instagram have taken steps to address online harassment and abuse, including updating their policies and investing in technology to detect and remove abusive content. They have also worked to improve their reporting processes and to provide better support to victims of abuse. More legal actions and laws are introduced to deal the case of Internet trolling. In some cases, victims of online harassment and abuse have taken legal action against their tormentors. This can include filing lawsuits for defamation and invasion of privacy. There have been a number of public awareness campaigns aimed at educating people about the dangers of online harassment and abuse and encouraging them to take steps to prevent it. For instance, in 2020 the #StopHateForProfit campaign was launched in response to the increasing amount of hate speech and misinformation being spread on Facebook. The campaign encouraged businesses and organizations to boycott Facebook by pausing their advertising for the month of July, in order to pressure the company to take stronger action to address hate speech on its platform.