Thursday, November 19, 2015

"Trolling"

Going into this unit about trolling, i didn't think much of it. To be quite honest, i never thought we would read such articles that made me think a lot more about what i put out on social media. The Lindy West article is what really pushed my buttons on the subject. One incident she faced wasn't trolling, that was pure harassment. I don't feel sorry for her because she's a strong minded and strong willed woman who spoke out about it. However, it makes me sad at the fact that she's used to getting antagonizing and hurtful comments on her social media daily just because she expresses or tries to inform others on serious matters. In all seriousness though, where does that borderline of trolling to harmful threats lie? Does it stop becoming a joke when someone does what they're told and actually kills themself? Does it stop when someone decides to go further and physically harm the person they're antagonizing? Or does it go further of a court trial deciding whether or not someone is guilty. Where does this line lie? Please tell me where it does in your eyes. In my opinion, trolling someone or even joking with them for that matter shouldn't go to the point of telling someone to kill themselves because you never know the situations people are in and the emotions they go through. There's a big difference between harassment and trolling, trolls like to annoy and irritate people for fun without trying to cause actual harmful affects on the person they're doing it to. What Lindy West and others go through is harassment, and is something that shouldn't be taken lightly at all.

3 comments:

  1. I liked the points that you brought up, never really thought of the different levels of how some people carry out their version of a solution.

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  2. I really enjoyed your blog post because it made me see things in a different way. How thin can the line get with trolling and harassment? Hopefully people realize the difference and understand how serious the outcome can be.

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  3. Throughout this unit so far, I have thought about a lot of the things you brought up. Like, I just don't understand how some people can go about harassing others like that and saying harsh, painful comments. There's a person behind that screen, a person like yourself who has feelings. Even if simply intended as a joke, things can still get pretty hurtful. I mean, personally, there have been times when my friends would tease me about something and I would get a little upset even though I know they aren't trying to be mean. It's human nature to be sensitive, and while people can learn to have tough skin, it's not always easy.

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