We Asked, You Answered: How do you identify internet trolls?
Trolls are the bane of the internet. No matter the topic, someone somewhere will make insincere, rude, or inflammatory comments simply to provoke a reaction. SPL is no stranger to trolls, and we have even accepted donations from followers who donate in their honor.
However, part of SPL’s core mission is to engage in dialogue and find common ground with people who hold opposing viewpoints. When debating and discussing abortion online, it saves people time and their sanity to know whether someone is trolling and whether to respond at all. So, SPL went to social media and asked:
Many followers shared their insights on how to tell trolls from non-trolls, and where to find common ground for thoughtful dialogue. A selection of responses is below. Some have been lightly edited for clarity.
Eric Brown: Non-trolling opposition will have responses that line up with what was said (i.e. they listen). That doesn’t mean that they will agree. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be nasty. But it does mean that if we are talking about a specific article or specific findings from a study, the back-and-forth will primarily regard said article or study and what the other person is saying about it.
If they say something like “you just want control,” then I know they’re not listening.
Rachel Clapper: The verbiage of the comment gives the clearest clue. An earnest opposing argument will use language that invites respectful conversation. A troll is just inflammatory and provocative.
Rebecca Carlson: If I’m at all unsure, I straight up ask. Something like: “I’m reading you as looking for a mic drop instead of looking to have a good faith conversation. If I’m reading that wrong, lmk. If I’m reading that right, there’s a limit to how much I’m going to choose to engage.”
Their response is usually extremely revelatory, one way or the other.
@DFS_Lawd: By the depth and complexity of their arguments, if they are just spouting nonsensical talking points I’ve debunked thousands of times, I know they are a troll that needs to be ignored.
@mommie_teacher: In reality I have to be humble enough to know I can’t.
Even a troll could change his/her mind, or even an open-minded person in the secondary audience following might be convinced by a good response to a troll. So I just engage genuinely in good] faith.
Haddassah Lydia: Let them do the work at first. To show they are a thinker.
What I mean is if they ask a question that would take a minute to answer, make them earn your time.
Ask for clarification of their own view. If they’ve truly thought it out, this will be easy for them.
If they have not thought it out, it will be hard for them to answer, so they will react with a laughing emoji and leave the conversation.
Rehumanize International: Patterns. Sometimes someone will start reasonably enough but then over the course of a few posts become increasingly abrasive.
John Cook: More than half of Facebook is not real. Bot traffic is now the majority of the Internet. If you can tell the difference now, that’s great, but it won’t last forever.
John Russell Herbert: It’s not always easy to tell. The finest definitions I hear of the ideal (and sincere) opposition leave out the fact that emotions run hot, and that patterned and propagandistic talking points overlap with actual human thinking. A full-on troll may actually exhibit a recreational kick, an aloofness.
Megan Eubanks: If they don’t actually respond or attempt to respond to the points you make, and they phrase themselves in the most intentionally confrontational manner, and they resort to name-calling when you stay on topic. Oh, and they don’t seem to champion a cause or idea. Their only concern is making a person upset.
They also tend to self-implode when they meet people who they can’t get under their skin.
But it takes a large aggregate of these cues for me to label someone a troll. I’d rather have a few trolls survive than be dismissive of a real person with a real perspective who is just passionate about the topic and not super polite about it.
Dan Nichols: Mostly by laugh-react.
Continue the conversation:
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