[Leica] Internet Trolls

[philippe.amard at sfr.fr (philippe.amard)]

Thanks for the words Ric, now do we have a photo? ;-)

Amiti?s

Philippe who enjoyed this a lot.



Le 17 janv. 13 ? 02:19, Ric Carter a ?crit :

> What is a Troll?
>
> An Internet ?troll? is a person who delights in sowing discord on  
> the Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and  
> upset people.
>
> Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for  
> their bizarre game. For some reason, they don?t ?get? that they are  
> hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite  
> human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel  
> no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater  
> the suffering they cause, the greater their ?achievement? (as they  
> see it).
>
> Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or  
> otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to  
> feel shame or compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot  
> be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they  
> are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility.
>
> Why Do They Do It?
>
> Affirmation.
>
> Trolls crave attention, and they care not whether it is positive or  
> negative. They see the Internet as a mirror into which they can gaze  
> in narcissistic rapture.
>
> If you want a deeper analysis than that, perhaps a psychologist can  
> shed some additional light on the matter.
>
> Why Does it Matter?
>
> The sad fact is that trolls discourage people. Established posters  
> may leave a message board because of the arguments that trolls  
> ignite, and lurkers may decide that they do not want to expose  
> themselves to abuse and thus never get involved.
>
> Another problem is that the negative emotions stirred up by trolls  
> leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become  
> bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his  
> victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions  
> between long-time users.
>
> Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual  
> criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate  
> backlash.
>
> What Can be Done about Trolls?
>
> ??The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to  
> reminding others not to respond to trolls.??
>
> When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a  
> troll, he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing  
> that trolls can?t handle is being ignored.
>
> What Not to Do
>
> It is futile to try to ?cure? a troll of his obsession. But perhaps  
> you simply cannot bear the hostile environment that the troll is  
> creating and want to go away for a while.
>
> If you do that, then for the sake of the others on the system, do  
> not post a dramatic ?Goodbye!? message. This convinces the troll  
> that he is winning the battle. There is, perhaps, no message you can  
> write that is as damaging as an announcement that you are leaving  
> because of the hostility that the troll has kindled.
>
> If you feel you must say something, a discreet message to the system  
> operator (and some of the others users, if you have their email  
> addresses) is the best course of action. If you are writing the  
> letter in an agitated state, it is a good idea to wait an hour and  
> then give it one last review before you actually send it. That might  
> spare you the pain of saying things that you don?t really mean to  
> people you like.
>
> The Webmaster?s Challenge
>
> The moderator of a message board may not be able to delete a troll?s  
> messages right away, but their job is made much harder if they also  
> have to read numerous replies to trolls. They are also forced to  
> decide whether or not to delete posts from well-meaning folks which  
> have the unintended effect of encouraging the troll.
>
> Perhaps the most difficult challenge for a webmaster is deciding  
> whether to take steps against a troll that a few people find  
> entertaining. Some trolls do have a creative spark and have chosen  
> to squander it on being disruptive. There is a certain perverse  
> pleasure in watching some of them. Ultimately, though, the webmaster  
> has to decide if the troll actually cares about putting on a good  
> show for the regular participants, or is simply playing to an  
> audience of one ? himself.
>
> What about Free Speech?
>
> When trolls find that their efforts are being successfully resisted,  
> they often complain that their right to free speech is being  
> infringed.
>
> While most people on the Internet are ardent defenders of free  
> speech, it is not an absolute right; there are practical  
> limitations. For example, you may not scream out ?Fire!? in a  
> crowded theatre, and you may not make jokes about bombs while  
> waiting to board an airplane. We accept these limitations because we  
> recognize that they serve a greater good.
>
> The ultimate response to the ?free speech? argument is this: while  
> we may have the right to say more or less whatever we want, we do  
> not have the right to say it wherever we want. You may feel strongly  
> about the fact that your neighbour has not mowed his lawn for two  
> months, but you do not have the right to berate him in his own  
> living room. Similarly, if a webmaster tells a troll that he is not  
> welcome, the troll has no ?right? to remain. This is particularly  
> true on the numerous free communications services offered on the  
> net. (On pay systems, the troll might be justified in asking for a  
> refund.)
>
>
> Conclusion
>
> Next time you are on a message board and you see a post by somebody  
> whom you think is a troll, and you feel you must reply, simply write  
> a follow-up message entitled ?Troll Alert? and type only this:
>
> The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to  
> reminding others not to respond to trolls.
>
> By posting such a message, you let the troll know that you know what  
> he is, and that you are not going to get dragged into his twisted  
> little hobby.
>
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One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible  
to the eye. Antoine de Saint Exup?ry in Le Petit Prince.