If you’re active on social media — and who, these days, is not? –regardless of what you post, you’re likely to be attacked by that social media bugaboo, the troll. Trolls are people, or sometimes bots created by people, who delight in attacking you for what you post, often in obscene and hurtful language.
A troll isn’t just someone who disagrees with you. Disagreement, even vigorous disagreement, is part of what makes public conversation worthwhile. A troll enters a discussion not to exchange ideas, but to disrupt, provoke, embarrass, or exhaust. The troll’s goal is not persuasion; it’s reaction. If you respond in anger, abandon the discussion, or begin to doubt yourself, the troll has succeeded.
I was recently bombarded with trolls after I published a post criticizing the extended deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, DC, ostensibly to combat crime (which violates the Posse Comitatus Act), but who spend their time walking the streets doing nothing or picking up trash, two things that degrade their military readiness. This happens to be one of our president’s signature actions, so it didn’t surprise me when literally hundreds of trolls jumped out of the woodwork to attack me. I was accused of having no military service (not true; I spent 20 years in uniform), or being too old and from a bygone era and unable to understand today’s military. These are two of the less idiotic attacks, by the way. My only response was to correct the record about my military service, but otherwise ignore it. Among the more than one thousand responses to my post were a few who lauded me, including posts from some who know my background. After a week, believe it or not, the trolls are still at it.
Trolls come in several varieties. Some are bored individuals looking for entertainment at someone else’s expense. Some are angry people who use social media as a punching bag for frustrations that have little to do with the subject at hand. Some are ideological warriors, convinced that anyone outside their camp is not merely wrong but evil. Others are paid or automated actors trying to influence public opinion by flooding conversations with insults, conspiracy theories, or deliberate falsehoods. Whatever the category, the common thread is manipulation. The troll wants to control the room’s emotional temperature.
Their motivations are not mysterious, though they are rarely noble. Attention is one. On social media, outrage is a kind of currency, and trolls spend it freely. Power is another. A person who feels small in ordinary life can feel briefly important by making someone else lose composure in public. There is also belonging. Trolls often travel in packs, reinforcing one another with likes, shares, and sneering comments. For some, cruelty becomes a badge of membership.
So how do you deal with them without losing either sanity or dignity? The first rule is simple: don’t feed the troll. That old internet warning remains sound advice. Before answering, ask yourself whether the person has shown any interest in good-faith conversation. If the answer is no, silence is not cowardice. It is discipline. You are not required to attend every argument to which you are invited.
Second, use the tools the platforms provide. Mute, block, report, and restrict without apology if they start to sound dangerous. These are not acts of weakness; they are the digital equivalent of closing your front door. You would not invite a stranger into your living room to shout insults at your guests, and you need not give the online equivalent unlimited access to your peace of mind.
Third, if you must respond, respond to the audience, not the troll. A concise correction of a false claim may be worthwhile, especially if others are reading. State the facts calmly, avoid sarcasm, and then move on. The goal isn’t to win over the troll, who probably isn’t listening, but to keep the record straight for reasonable people who may be watching quietly.
Finally, remember that your worth is not determined by the loudest voice in the comment thread. Step away when you need to. Refuse to mistake constant engagement for civic duty. Protect your time, your calm, and your sense of proportion. Social media can connect, inform, and entertain, but it can also distort the importance of strangers’ opinions. The troll wants you to crawl into the mud and wrestle. You are free to decline the invitation, wipe your shoes, and keep walking.
In other words, don’t let a troll rent space in your head when you wouldn’t invite him onto your porch. | NWI
