What is the clinical definition of trolling on Fluther?

Urban dictionary defines trolling as purposefully antagonizing people on the internet to feed off of responses that you elicit.

Some people call trolling when they don’t agree with what is being said. Others may be trolling without even realizing it (though this technically defies the definition of trolling).

Others just realize that trolling is a art.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Others may be trolling without even realizing it (though this technically defies the definition of trolling). Doesn’t that take us back to the preceding sentence where other people find it offensive thus labeling it “trolling”. The person asking the question, or making the answer had no intent on antagonizing anyone, it was just how the masses, or a greater number of them, decided to take it that way.

<—- Accept only the best! Make sure your troll posts bear this quality seal!

I usually just look for the constant, apparently use of logical fallacies over and over. It makes it clear what the intention of the person is.

I believe the powers that be have abundant supplies of this shit, quells any bullshitter very efficiently indeed.

^“apparently intentional”

^ if you’ve got something to say, come right out with it why don’t you.

@ucme I meant that as an amendment to my comment. I left out the word intentional.

Ahh, misinterpretation duly corrected then.

All sorts of corrections needed. I gotta remember not to type until I drink my coffee in the morning.

It is a very subjective thing, and it is really hard to determine intent in the typed word.

In general? Being a dick or doing purposely inflammatory things to rattle someones cage. On Fluther? Asking questions about homosexuality in a negative way, it seems…Fluther’s rather troll free, in my experience though.

We delete trolling questions and ban trolls, so the fact that there are still members and questions on the site that other jellies do not like is proof enough that dislike is not sufficient to qualify someone as a troll or a question as trolling. Honest questions are allowed. Even loaded, slanted, or otherwise biased questions—which is what people who think they are asking challenging questions are often really asking—tend to remain unmoderated. Two people could ask very similar questions with only one of them being trolling, however, because trolling is about intent. A troll tends to reveal himself not by his subject matter, but by how he tries to direct a conversation.

So while people may (falsely) call trolling whenever they don’t like a question, that does not mean that one person’s trolling is another person’s honest question. It just means that some people are bad at distinguishing trolls from non-trolls and that other people are willing to toss around the term in the hopes of blunting their opposition. There are ways to be forceful and direct in discussions without being accused of trolling, though, so this latter tendency can be avoided by the careful and judicious disputant.

I always call troll when I think we’re getting screwed with, not when I disagree with what’s being said. Different ball games. Hey, I’ve been called a troll here once because someone disagreed with me, it sucks but that’s life.

As I said here:

Having a minority viewpoint and sticking to it does not make one a troll. We’ve got many members who we’ve never suspected of trolling, despite them being in this exact position. We certainly don’t go around banning people just because they disagree with us… if we did, we’d have far fewer members here. Not to mention a dead site. What would Fluther be if not for debate?

And here

Deciding if someone’s a troll can be a bit tricky. Sometimes, it’s really obvious (hate-speech, say, or somebody just going off the deep end all of a sudden – attacking people all over the place), and others use much subtler methods to troll. Maybe they routinely post controversial questions just for the sake of being controversial, with no real interest in a discussion. Maybe they ask ‘questions’ just so they can argue with everyone who answers. Maybe they use nonsensical language to mess with people. Maybe they ask a series of questions that creates some kind of story that alarms people, just for their own amusement. Whatever method they use, it’s usually pervasive, and seen across multiple threads. Generally, the subtler it is, the longer it takes us to be sure.

In the case of a returning troll, that’s someone we’ve previously banned for trolling coming back under a new name. They get banned the very minute we’re aware they’re back.

Any individual who asks a question simply as a vehicle to display their pent up rage I wouldn’t see as a troll, oh no. More of a sad delusional dipshit, but then that’s just one guy talking.

@Joker94 Asking questions about homosexuality in a negative way, it seems…Fluther’s rather troll free, in my experience though. How are you defining negative, anything that is against it or otherwise not in full support of it? Any other sacred cows you believe Fluther has, other subjects or issues that should not be brought up unless to exalt it?

@augustlan Maybe they routinely post controversial questions just for the sake of being controversial, with no real interest in a discussion. Maybe they ask ‘questions’ just so they can argue with everyone who answers. How does one differentiate a challenging question from a controversial one? Sometimes they are one in the same. Of, to avoid any controversy one ask only fluffy questions? What differentiates a debate from an argument Fluther wise?

Asking controversial (or ‘challenging’) questions isn’t a problem… it’s the motivation behind asking them that may be. If people genuinely want to discuss a controversial topic, that’s just fine with us. In fact, we encourage it! However, if their intent (which may only become clear over time) is purely to piss people off and cause a riot, we’d consider that trolling.

Genuine debate often reaches a point of people ‘agreeing to disagree’, while trolls will argue infinitely, while never really addressing any of the counter points others make.

@Hypocrisy_Central I was only making a joke about a question posted not too long ago, seeing as it was the only troll-like question I’ve ever seen on here.

OK, I was just curious as if there were de facto or actually sacred cows here on Fluther, even at times there seem to be.

@Hypocrisy_Central I don’t know about sacred cows, but sacrilegious cows yes maybe. :D