Facebook Trolls

One large factor in Facebook trolling I believe that this article failed to mention is the large group of common people who support the trolls by feeding their insensitive comments or pages with "likes" or "lol's." While the trolls of Facebook are indeed primarily held responsible for their actions, I also believe that they would not be so popular and garner so much attention if nobody encouraged their behavior. As the article briefly mentions, this reflects a greater problem in our generation of internet users where many become desensitized and sociopathic behind a screen where nobody can judge them up front. In a way, it may be so that these silent supporters are more dangerous than the trolls themselves as it is more difficult to target individuals of a large group who click the "like" button on a troll comment rather than the sole writer of that comment himself. Like many digital media ethical issues, this presents a gray area of who is truly responsible for troll behavior: the trolling individual, or the masses who fuel and encourage his behavior.  Nonetheless, I agree wholeheartedly that RIP trolling is harmful and insensitive behavior that can cause serious emotional damage to family members and friends of the deceased.

While it is difficult to shut down every single troll account there is on Facebook, I do believe that, as the article mentions, it is necessary to monitor for trolling behavior and stop as much as possible. Along with not giving troll pages the attention they do not deserve in order to prevent them from getting bigger, it may help for Facebook to implement a stricter policy regarding who can make a Facebook account. One way would be for Facebook to require legitimate identification before creating a page or an account to ensure that the user is indeed a real person and who he says he is. Through this method, trolling may be significantly diminished.







http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160318-what-is-the-best-way-to-stop-internet-trolls


http://time.com/4457110/internet-trolls/

http://99u.com/articles/25151/dont-feed-the-haters-the-confessions-of-a-former-troll