There are various theories, but one of the reasons why people may avoid engaging on social media is because of Internet trolls. This may be surprising to some, but celebrities and influencers have been found to encourage trolling, often unintentionally.
Influencers can keep trolls off their social media by blocking and reporting them. There is no perfect way to prevent a troll from harassing you online, so this is the best method. If enough trolls are blocked, then the uncomfortable feeling associated with ignoring them goes away and mental health improves.
Whether they believe themselves to be undiscovered or in the majority, Internet trolls are feeling empowered by heightened self-confidence and are feeling free to make terrible comments. Internet trolls often feel more empowered to target others online because they experience an overall feeling of anonymity, and even when their names are revealed, there are always two screens keeping the individuals separated, making it fairly easy to believe the harm being done is not real.
While these commenters are irritating to their fellow Internet denizens, they can be disruptive to brands on social media. Since most trolls are individuals with little to no interest in engaging with brands, they will become frustrated when they see that they need to get some miles on them before their comments are seen by others. If you ignore the content of the troll’s comments but instead reply in kind, they will have no idea what to do.
Always Block and Report the Troll
Ignoring the troll will make them stop trolling, but report abuse to your Internet Service Provider, and block them on social media or in emails if they are not. If you have dealt with the Trolls professionally, but they keep engaging in negative behavior, then it is time to block them. Just be sure you are not getting into a fight with a troll; it is what the trolls want, but it is not worth your time. After some time, you might not even need to get involved, since your community will take care of the trolls on their own.
If you do not want to get random trolls posting comments and spewing hate at your social profiles, you can block these individuals, set your accounts to friends-only, and vet anyone following you. You can get a bit sneaky and block comments just below photos or videos you think might be trigger-happy to trolls. If a platform is owned by you (e.g., it is your social media profiles, blog, or discussion boards), you can and should implement a no-trolls policy.
Whether you are communicating with a customer who is upset, or with a troll, your comments are public, and they are probably going to remain so for a very long time. You do not have to reply to trolls, as the Internet is vast, and plenty of people will point out how rude or silly they are.
Some Trolls Are Quite Persistent
Or…does a goal-driven troll seem angry, sour, and trying to provoke anger within your brand or amongst your fellow users? If that is the case, you have got a living, breathing, social media troll–an Internet malefic, in the digital flesh. Troll accounts do not just add zero value to a conversation, they may also cause discomfort for other members of your audience. Trolls will frequently make comments that appear to be friendly and helpful, but they have ulterior motives. They will name-call people and say things that appeal to feelings and biases instead of intelligence.
Trolls have been around for as long as there has been an Internet, mocking and provoking their way around various websites and social media pages. Trolls were in existence even before the Internet, holding the same tactics and strategies to achieve their goal of damaging the brand or an individual’s reputation through negative comments meant to influence an audience’s opinion of the subject matter. To this day, trolls come out from the dank reaches of their troll caves to cause trouble in discussions, on social media, and wherever else they can get people upset.
It’s Okay to Remove Trolls
I have learned that when trolls target brands (and people), their violent-driven narratives create an unsafe space for their fellow followers. It is evident that, while #BeKind is preached, a certain number of social media users cannot seem to get off the hook for trolling celebrities and influencers online, often simply for living their daily lives.
Despite the possibility for decreased engagement, though, those in the industry seem to mostly want social media platforms to take action, with many emphasizing their mental-health struggles stemming from trolling. The effects may even go beyond individual struggles, with some influencers even suggesting trolling has had negative impacts on brand partnerships, in some cases even damaging careers.
Unfortunately, that also means it can be difficult to navigate social media without coming across trolls and spammers that want nothing more than to derail your campaigns or businesses. In a worst-case scenario, trolls could change the conversation and generate negative PR for the brand.
Keep this in mind as you engage with people online, and you will see taming the troll is not hard. Of course, it does not prevent the online troll problem per se, only serves to help people cope with it. People who engage in trolling are also regular humans, so having online tolerance is said to be one of the best policies. Giving people the opportunity to always connect, as well as being anonymous most of the time, leads to things like trolling and harassment.
Trolls are online people that intentionally cause trouble within various social communities and sites. Trolls are simply people who post incendiary, irrelevant or off-topic messages on the internet communities. Internet trolls are typically defined as individuals who intentionally provoke other online users by leaving rude, inflammatory, or negative comments on social media. Trolls target anyone who they can; ensure that your audience does not become the victims of the troll’s malicious actions.
