I didn’t know the word ‘troll’ when I returned from Cambodia in 2008. It was a strange phenomenon. News articles online. Social media, mostly Facebook at the time. There were people hanging out in the comment sections with an intentional goal to shock. The meaner, the more vulgar, the more crass, the most argumentative, the most racist, the better. Initially believed to be the late-night antics of young teenage boys looking for a place to show up. Even if uninvited. To have power. To hold the room captive with their contributions. To have human connection. Contentious human connection. But connection nonetheless. To be somebody. People took notice. And the once uninvited wall flower, now civil discourse villain, has the attention of everyone in the chat room. For them, it was intoxicating.
For Whom the Words Troll
For Whom the Words Troll
For Whom the Words Troll
I didn’t know the word ‘troll’ when I returned from Cambodia in 2008. It was a strange phenomenon. News articles online. Social media, mostly Facebook at the time. There were people hanging out in the comment sections with an intentional goal to shock. The meaner, the more vulgar, the more crass, the most argumentative, the most racist, the better. Initially believed to be the late-night antics of young teenage boys looking for a place to show up. Even if uninvited. To have power. To hold the room captive with their contributions. To have human connection. Contentious human connection. But connection nonetheless. To be somebody. People took notice. And the once uninvited wall flower, now civil discourse villain, has the attention of everyone in the chat room. For them, it was intoxicating.