What exactly is a "troll"?

[Mercy]

I keep seeing the word "troll" being used in various threads. What exactly do you all mean by that?

 

[jrydberg]

Someone looking to get folks riled up.

 

[onecoolmama]

Dan Murphy is the best to answer this question.

 

[winniedapooh]

Thanks I have been wondering the same thing. jrydberg, I thought that was the answer but not sure.

 

[4cruisin]

On the Internet, the term troll is a slang term used to describe a number of things, traditionally:

A post (on a newsgroup, or other forum) thought to be intended to incite controversy or conflict.
A person who posts these.
The term troll has negative connotations, and is often applied as an insult. An individual posting honestly-held but controversial opinions is sometimes mis-labeled as a troll. By contrast, a troll's primary incentive is generally considered to be the incitement of conflict.

A troll's reactions to being identified as a troll often gives the game away. A person unjustly accused of being a troll may be hurt and express indignation. A troll is more likely to react with verbal abuse, raising the stakes with inflammatory remarks maligning the motivation of the accuser, and may pursue his/her perceived enemy from site to site.

Trolling is often described as an online version of the breaching experiment, where social boundaries and rules of etiquette are broken. Self-proclaimed trolls often style themselves as Devil's Advocates or gadflies, challenging the dominant discourse and assumptions of the forum they are 'trolling' in an attempt to subvert and introduce different ways of thinking. Detractors claim that true "Devil's Advocates" generally identify themselves as such for the sake of etiquette whereas trolls do not feel so bound.

Trolls are sometimes caricatured as socially-inept. This is often due to fundamental attribution error, as it is difficult to know the real traits of an individual solely from their online discourse. Indeed, since intentional trolls are alleged to knowingly flout social boundaries, it is difficult to typecast them as socially inept since they have arguably proven adept at their goal of inciting conflict.


Just call me Cliff Craven

 

[Pete's Mom]

Here is an excellent link to explain what an internet "troll" is.

http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Trolls live beneath the bridge

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by onecoolmama
Dan Murphy is the best to answer this question.

I am???

Pete's Mom's link is the best explantion, both what a troll is (all sites get them, including the DIS) and also how to deal with them.............IGNORE them.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally posted by 4cruisin
On the Internet, the term troll is a slang term used to describe a number of things, traditionally:

A post (on a newsgroup, or other forum) thought to be intended to incite controversy or conflict.
A person who posts these.
The term troll has negative connotations, and is often applied as an insult. An individual posting honestly-held but controversial opinions is sometimes mis-labeled as a troll. By contrast, a troll's primary incentive is generally considered to be the incitement of conflict.

A troll's reactions to being identified as a troll often gives the game away. A person unjustly accused of being a troll may be hurt and express indignation. A troll is more likely to react with verbal abuse, raising the stakes with inflammatory remarks maligning the motivation of the accuser, and may pursue his/her perceived enemy from site to site.

Trolling is often described as an online version of the breaching experiment, where social boundaries and rules of etiquette are broken. Self-proclaimed trolls often style themselves as Devil's Advocates or gadflies, challenging the dominant discourse and assumptions of the forum they are 'trolling' in an attempt to subvert and introduce different ways of thinking. Detractors claim that true "Devil's Advocates" generally identify themselves as such for the sake of etiquette whereas trolls do not feel so bound.

Trolls are sometimes caricatured as socially-inept. This is often due to fundamental attribution error, as it is difficult to know the real traits of an individual solely from their online discourse. Indeed, since intentional trolls are alleged to knowingly flout social boundaries, it is difficult to typecast them as socially inept since they have arguably proven adept at their goal of inciting conflict.


Just call me Cliff Craven

Excellent explaination. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Of course, if you're talking about the traditional kind of troll, that's another matter entirely.

A feral race living primarily in the mountains, trolls are a tribal race somewhat taller than humans and far stronger. Their appearance is rather ghastly from their ability to crossbreed with virtually any race (which their repugnant behavior often indulges in, with or without consent). Trolls are best known for their amazing powers of healing ("regeneration") that will allow them to survive most wounds, even those thought mortal, and even regrow limbs (save for the head).

There are many different variety of trolls. Trolls are mostly seen in computer games, or old versions of Dungeons and Dragons.

 

[4cruisin]

Love Ya Cliffy...I could listen to you drone on I mean talk for hours.

 

[figment52]

Originally posted by SyracuseWolvrine
Trolls live beneath the bridge

Yes, I am a troll because I live in the lower peninsula of Michigan. Yoopers live in the upper peninsula of Michigan. There is a bridge that connects them and everyone knows trolls live under bridges.

 

[wld]

I thought the exact same thing. I too live below the bridge in MI. We do not call ourselves trolls in the LP and when called one by a person from the UP it kind of sounds like it has a negative connotation, similar to when they say "and who here is from below the bridge?" That's okay both my DD's will still go live with the "yoopers" for their college education. There's no denying its a beautiful place. And we can take the ribbing. (a smiley face here if I knew how to do it.)

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Cliff Clavin
Excellent explaination. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Of course, if you're talking about the traditional kind of troll, that's another matter entirely.

A feral race living primarily in the mountains, trolls are a tribal race somewhat taller than humans and far stronger. Their appearance is rather ghastly from their ability to crossbreed with virtually any race (which their repugnant behavior often indulges in, with or without consent). Trolls are best known for their amazing powers of healing ("regeneration") that will allow them to survive most wounds, even those thought mortal, and even regrow limbs (save for the head).

There are many different variety of trolls. Trolls are mostly seen in computer games, or old versions of Dungeons and Dragons.

They are feared in D&D games as they are considered to be some serious monsters; only taken down by fire damage...

 

[ILUVDXL]

Geesh! I always thought they were sweet little guys in Norway who tried to get you to buy them in the gift shop.

 

[cati]

A person who is not very nice sometimes and sometimes their post upsets people because it may hurt that person's feelings, and the post is usually meant to hurt someone's feelings.

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by SyracuseWolvrine
Trolls live beneath the bridge

DH's ex-wife was a troll. She really did live under a bridge. In a dumpy old apartment under a bridge. Come to think of it, she kinda looked like a troll too.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Originally posted by wld
I thought the exact same thing. I too live below the bridge in MI. We do not call ourselves trolls in the LP and when called one by a person from the UP it kind of sounds like it has a negative connotation, similar to when they say "and who here is from below the bridge?" That's okay both my DD's will still go live with the "yoopers" for their college education. There's no denying its a beautiful place. And we can take the ribbing. (a smiley face here if I knew how to do it.)

I've heard either "trolls" or "lowpers" (I guess to go along with yoopers?) I have no preference for either one ... I'm proud of where I'm from, who cares if I'm a "troll" to someone?

 

[damo]

I have noticed that while someone may appear to be a troll to one person, he/she may not seem like a troll to another. Trolling is in the eyes of the beholder It all depends on where your sensitivities lie.