Majority of our lives are moving online and people who work remotely may be subjected to stress and harassment, one of it being internet trolling. Let us see what it is and how we can protect ourselves.
Youngsters especially are now worryingly spending a lot of time on forums, chat rooms and online community discussions. They interact with strangers they know nothing about and sometimes fall prey to trolling. Let us learn more about what is internet trolling.
What is a Troll?
Troll is traditionally used to denote monsters in folklore stories. These monsters prey on travelers and hide to attack them.
In modern usage, internet trolling is used to denote who deliberately puts in comments and posts to draw a person to respond emotionally. It is a bit like fishing for an emotional response and deliberate provocation. Trolling happens on social media, forums and places where chats happen. Sometimes it is very subtle and the person who is attacked is confused and feels harassed. People who fall into the bait of trolling may suffer mental health consequences of the harassment. They may lose their sleep, get anxious, stressed and suicidal. It is important to recognize trolling and deal with it.
People who engage in trolling are usually amused by the attention, which may make them provoke people more. There seems to be some characteristics typical of people who engage in Internet Trolling. They seem to get pleasure with inciting pain and agony. They may correlate with traits of psychopathy and other personality issues. Additionally these people who engage in trolling think that they may get away as they are behind an anonymous identity.
TIPS TO DEAL WITH INTERNET TROLLING:
Self care is keeping emotional boundaries and staying safe. Your utmost priority is your mental and emotional wellness.
First step of protecting yourself from this form of harassment is to be aware and recognize trolling.
Internet trolling is a bait. You do not have to turn up to every bait or respond, however provocative it may be.
Secondly Understanding why one is doing this will help you ignore trolls. Sometimes despite ignoring the trolls it may continue to upset you mentally. One must be mindful of the forums and conversations engaged in and take a break from them if possible.
If trolling continues you must block and report the person trolling and report to cyber police.
Get support for your emotional health following this type of harassment. Also look out for family and friends who may suffer from consequences of internet trolling.
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