Twitter Trolls

Doctorow explains how online communities can be the breeding ground for trolling, negatively affecting the communities environment and the members.  The reaction the troll receives from the community motivates them to continue posting toxic comments. While the temptation is hard to resist, ignoring these people is what will eventually stop the troll. The back and forth which often happens creates stress and hostility throughout the community.

The media is often the first to shed light on the newest online war going on. While they report on the consequences that have resulted from these people, often the trolls they report on are those people with celebrity status. It seems almost every day I hear about a new troll who has started a war on Twitter. The war between Leanne Rimes and Brandi Glanville is a perfect example of how things can get out of hand.

As a new user, I am surprised with how many negative comments are posted in response to a previous tweet. After viewing several examples, it is obvious that the troll feels technology provides them with a reasonable excuse to ignore all acceptable forms of communication. Where thinking about what you’re going to say before you talk/type is not necessary.

Here are a few examples- (there are many examples of tweets that are inappropriate although the majority of these use very strong language, so here are a few that are acceptable for this assignment) 

Here is article that talks about trolls on Facebook and Twitter and the potential consequences.