About the Authors
My name is Marlene Gonzalez and I am a first year, Pre-Sociology major. I am from Watsonville, CA which is over four hours north of Oxnard. A fun fact about me is that I actually grew up in Oxnard most of my life! I am very excited to be living close to my hometown again through attending UC Santa Barbara. Whenever I am not busy with academics, I enjoy listening to spanish music, dancing, and watching crime documentaries. You can contact me at marlenegonzalez@ucsb.edu if you have any questions regarding high school, the future, or emotional support!
Hey guys, My name is Michael Leon and I am currently a first year at University of California, Santa Barbara. I am a chemistry major looking to switch to Psychological and Brain Sciences major with a double major Sociology and possible a double minor in applied psychology and poverty, inequality, and social justice. I am from a small desert town in San Bernardino county, Hesperia. Most people don’t really know where that is so I end up saying I from La Puente, where I grew up for most of my childhood. I am extremely excited to be able to communicate with you guys again! In my free time I typically hangout with some of brothers from my Fraternity, Theta Nu Kappa Multicultural and Academic, Inc. or study/look into career paths and major opinions. I also have a job on campus, actually had two. You can also contact me with any questions, comments, concerns, and/or opinions that you may have at: Michael_leon@ucsb.edu.
Hey everyone! My name is Miracle McMillan. I am a first year sociology major at UC Santa Barbara. Sociology is the study of social problems, social change, diversity, and interactions within and between social groups. It’s a really cool major. I am from Long Beach, Ca., the home of SNOOP DOGG :). I love to listen to music and read. (only interesting books though). Now that I am done talking about myself, I just wanted to say that you are going to do great things in life and don’t let anything get you down. You are the future. Have faith in yourself and strive to do your best.
What is an Internet Troll?
Have you ever heard of the term “trolling”? If you have, it was probably on social media where it occurs. Trolling is when you post something to get people bothered and upset. The people who do the trolling are called trolls. Don’t confuse them with the mystical creatures. These trolls like to sit behind a screen and create conflict while the mythical trolls hide under a bridge, cause problems, and look scary; but don’t underestimate the power of an internet troll. They too can be scary. Trolling can make people uncomfortable and can cause them to react in many ways. Some people try to argue back with these trolls and prove a point, but that only feeds into their plot of trying to make people mad.
Avoiding Those Trolling Trolls
What does trolling look like?
Trolling occurs when someone tries to make people mad by saying things on the Internet. Trolling can be represented in numerous ways. The most common places to see it is on social media platforms like Instagram,Twitter, and Youtube. There are even memes about trolling that you probably see a lot. Trolling may seem like cyber-bullying but, there are some differences between them. While cyberbullying mainly targets a certain individual, the theme of provoking comments is still present in both.
How can I avoid them?
Sadly, there are a lot of trolls out there, but social media sites, like Instagram, offer a reporting tool. This tool helps you report abusive behavior or spam in posts/comments. Reporting a violation, which can take form as a hate account, is the first step to addressing abuse.
What to do when coming in contact with Trolls?
Like we mentioned before, Trolls thrive off of negative energy. They will say anything to make you mad. There are a lot of trolls out there, Here are a few tips on how to avoid them:
- Ignore them: We know that this can be really hard to do, especially when people say things we don’t like. However, it’ll save you from wasting time that you can be spending doing homework, hanging out with friends, or even playing video games.
- Report them: If ignoring them didn’t work, try to report them. Sometimes these trolls can go so far and you might feel like they might spread their negativity to real life. Most, if not all, social media has a system of reporting and taking care of these said trollers that continue to bother the users.
- Block them: If ignoring and reporting them does not work then try blocking them. Blocking works on any social media site that you could possibly use and it is effect for not seeing content that bothers or offense you. Using this to deal with trolls online is effective but doesn’t stop them from posting or commenting about the issue. This is just a way you don’t have to deal with their foolishness.
If none of this rings a bell, then maybe this image will:
https://medium.com/the-haven/what-would-you-like-to-have-in-the-internet-troll-cafe-4fed14c4ab01
This symbol is supposed to represent the face of a person who is trolling someone. This face is seen all over the internet and you have probably seen it in memes. It is more commonly seen in the cringer memes and older memes online.
How to avoid being a troll
Most people can avoid being a troll by simply keeping negative comments and opinions to themselves. If you keep yourself to certain standards and try to understand the power of your comments on other people there should not be a problem with trolling. Have prudence with all things that you do online because it can all come back up in the future.
Educating Yourself on Trolling
Though we have provided you with information, we would like you guys to check out the following articles and really think about how it can impact your life in the future.
Survey finds employment background checks nearly universal today
“The research confirmed that background checks are a standard part of the hiring process in the U.S. In fact, 96 percent of the employers surveyed by HR.com reported that their companies conduct at least one type of employment background screening.”
https://www.ghrr.com/survey-finds-employment-background-checks-nearly-universal-today/
How to Identify and Protect Yourself from an Unsafe Website
Digital Footprint
“Even if you use false profiles to try and hide your identity, the user profile can be linked back to you if required. So, if the profile is used to do harm like cyberbullying and it is reported to the Police, they have the means to trace that profile back to its creator. Even if users attempt to hide their presence on the Internet they are never truly hidden.”
https://bulliesout.com/need-support/young-people/cyber-bullying/digital-footprint/
What is a digital footprint?
- an online identity that is created by what is posted online, building a digital reputation
- negative effects, as trolling, can have serious consequences
- everything is tracked online, so social image can be at risk if participate in risky behavior online
- can negatively affect you during employment background checks if not careful
Plugged In 