The problem with social media is not the presence of trolls, but rather the psychology surrounding its use. One troll may not be a significant issue, but when multiple trolls come together, the harassment can become overwhelming. The use of fake accounts and unconnected words is a problem for social media companies like Twitter, which has seen its stock price drop from $69 to $17 in the last three years. The company is struggling and some believe that the hostility on the platform is one contributing factor to its decline. Additionally, trolls can use personal information found online to harass their targets. This has led to potential acquirers such as Disney and Salesforce to be concerned about the negative impact trolls can have on a company’s value.
Professional Forums Receive Bullying Too
LinkedIn seems to have a more effective approach to combating trolls by promoting authenticity and accountability among its user base from the beginning. This platform is more valuable for productive conversations rather than giving attention to trolls. It is unfortunate that trolls exist on all social media platforms, including LinkedIn, even though their presence may be less prevalent due to the requirement of using real name identities. In group messaging platforms, a good administrator and a tolerant and humorous attitude can make a difference. It would be beneficial for social media platforms to require ID authentication, similar to Airbnb, as it may discourage people from posting negative content under their real identities. Instead of focusing on being politically correct all the time, it may be more important to address and put trolls in their place.
Diverting a discussion?
Some people believe that the best way to deal with trolls is to simply ignore them and not engage with their behavior. By blocking them and not giving them attention, it can effectively put an end to their actions. However, this approach can be challenging for some people and some may not be able to handle the negative words on the screen. Some trolls may enjoy causing discord and may redirect conversations from the original topic to something they want to talk about. An example of this is discussing rape culture in Indian colleges, where trolls may argue that there is no rape culture in these colleges and steer the conversation away from finding solutions to the problem. This type of behavior is often referred to as trolling and can have a negative impact on platforms like Twitter, which has seen a decline in its stock price.
Celebrities and Internet Trolls
