When was the first time you encountered, or discovered an internet troll?
I’m not talking about the discovery that some disagree with you.
I mean, when someone trashed, bashed, and vehemently opposed everything you said. Someone who deliberately tried to disrupt the harmony of normal internet communication, a Q & A site, or a fan website?
The first time I encountered a troll, I thought the person, who was deliberately misquoting me and saying I didn’t understand something I plainly and cogently explained—I thought this person was either incredibly dense or insane. Later, that one or someone else, began stalking me on other threads and another website.
Some moderator somewhere directed me to a really good article that explained what an internet troll was and helped me to understand the psychology of such disruptive, crude, insulting individuals.
I don’t think there are as many now as there were several years ago. Many of them get banned, or discussion boards that are vulnerable to troll manifestations have shut down. But I think many people have a story about the time they experienced their first conflict with an internet troll.
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On AnswerBag, in 2009, most likely. Only the nice people can answer. Might have been my first experience with a troll.
Probably about 5 minutes after getting on the internet for the first time.
I remember becoming aware of them when I was 14 posting on a Q&A site like this one (and being openly gay for the first time) and the extreme homophobia I received from some people, the comments about me being raped and worse (a 14-year-old boy, let me remind you)...I never knew there were people whose only function in life is to make others angry. I had a rude awakening. But it also made me realize the extent to which I was so much better than them in every imaginable way.
I was lucky to experience little to no bullying in real life. I just got it from trolls online.
From Yahoo Answers, the site was riddled with them. Which is why I grew tired of that crap and came here. Been a good experience on here so far.
Our local paper’s website. Trolls everywhere. It’s impossible to have one intelligent conversation without them trying to cloud the issue and simply get you upset.
Early 1990’s on AOL in the text based chat.
I discovered a troll first on a Model Railroad website. I was explaining to someone the difference between scale and gauge. One person in the discussion told me that I really didn’t have a firm grasp or understanding of the difference of scale and gauge. When I explained further, he kept putting words in my mouth and twisting my words. It was frustrating.
On the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb) boards, the movies The Passion of the Christ and the Chronicles of Narnia boards. were COMPLETELY dominated by atheists who were bashing Christianity, There were not even any Christians on the board, so it was never clear who they were bashing. When I asked one of the bashers, and explained there had been no Christians advocating ANYTHING on the boards all the way back to the beginning, b Several of the people explained to me that there USED to be Christians on the board who were bashing atheists,
There was no way you could discuss anything without being met with a flurry of enraged opposing views and insults.
A few years back while conducting an online video interview, the prospective candidate asked if there would be paid holidays included in his contract…I mean, come on!
It was on this site, so around 2010. I was never on any other chat sites, or Q&A sites before Fluther. And my Facebook, at that time, was limited to people I actually knew IRL.
I don’t recall what the troll was doing, or who their profile was. I may not have even engaged with the troll, probably just watched it all play out, and then have the Mods remove the person.
The last tahm ay met an internet troll ay danged done reached into my computuurr screen ayn’ dragged the haery crittuurr playn through ayn’ onto my computuurr desk. He’s in his cage raheet now glowering at me as ay speak. He done won’t be a-givin’ us any mawe trouble ay am sure. Damned crittur were ayy trump suppawtuurr too
6 years ago, on this site. Gosh, looking back, I learned everything about the Internet from this site.
But I think I might have encountered the concept much earlier, back when I asked my first question on Y!A and encountered a torrent of angry response.
I think it was a stroke of luck. Without being driven away from Y!A, I would have never discovered this site.
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