Poll: Trolling?

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Trolls have created history.

Notice how where God is standing looks suspiciously like the human brain?

You could say "God is just in our minds"?

And what, exactly, is subtle about this?

Or this?

 

[HassEsser]

loll trollng is so fckin gaauy, i h8 trols their all stupid fags, neckbeard virgens lol i mean im a virgenn but at least i aint gay,haha. and their live in moms basement and no gf its like lol go get a job feg fuckion trolls XDDD

lolsrsmode: "Trolling" nowadays, is literally when you disagree with someone. Cannot count how many times I've heard "What the fuck, Twilight is the greatest, you troll" (or what I wrote above) or something similar. Lying and disagreeing not trolling, eliciting an emotional response from someone is, and that's the bottom line. Subtly, and with anger, is the best flavor, but it's a art, it can be interpreted in many different ways.

that being said, cultop is my favorite troll<3

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

I love trolling. It is after all, as they say, an science.

 

[Mikeyfell]

I've been trolled, seen trolling, and even participated (for the record, only as a counter-troll (that is to say I trolled trolls) and only when I played WoW) in the act that many treat as the absolute worst thing one can do with an internet connection. But recently, I've come to appreciate it as a valuable part of the zeitgeist of our generation, and an insight into human nature in a consequence-free environment. I'm asking you Escapists what you think of the act and my opinion.

DISCLAIMER --- By selecting Trollolololol you are, of course, trolling the thread and thus are in favor of trolling while devaluing my opinion.

For the sake of clarity do you mean "Escapist trolling" or "internet trolling"
Because I've been accused of trolling on this site many many times when I have been doing nothing of the sort, I've even been moderator-ized for it. So as far as I can tell the word "trolling" on the Escapist has devolved into expressing an opinion that doesn't fall comfortably in line with the conventional main stream. IE: You don't like Call of Duty, you're obviously a troll. Or: You think the Escapist community has reduced the word "Troll" to a meaningless syllable, you're obviously trolling.

while on other sites "troll" is still refers to the people who invade a topic and are needlessly offensive with the sole purpose of derailing the conversation or people who post pictures of diseased dicks on image boards all day long.

Anyway, my position on the real trolls is to just ignore them. I don't think if you ignore them that they'll go away, but if you ignore them you become immune to them. They're not worth getting worked up over.

But if you're asking about what passes for trolling on this site then I'm all for it. And the mods should stop banning people for it. It's people who are willing to express their controversial opinions that make communities worth being a part of.

 

[DocBot]

There's no "yes/no" in regards to the acceptance of trolling. It's a situational type of thing.

I'm with Fawxy on this. In most situations I play a game seriously and do it to have fun. But, if the people in-game are being complete jerks or taking the fun out of things I will trolololololol it up any way I can.

Ratio of game playing in seriousness vs. trolling: 95% serious 5% troll

 

[ElPatron]

Depends on the trolling? Just being stupid for the sake of being stupid? Annoying.

Neither one is trolling.

99% of the internet does not know what trolling is. I have seen very few instances of it happening.

It is actually very rare because it takes skill, patience and a lot of time of planning.

When done, it will damage a forum.

Back in my day, trolling meant something.

Trolling back in its prime meant acting out an elaborate plan, one subtle enough to remain undetected, but strong enough to whip up a reaction.

This.

For the sake of clarity do you mean "Escapist trolling" or "internet trolling"
Because I've been accused of trolling on this site many many times when I have been doing nothing of the sort, I've even been moderator-ized for it. So as far as I can tell the word "trolling" on the Escapist has devolved into expressing an opinion that doesn't fall comfortably in line with the conventional main stream. IE: You don't like Call of Duty, you're obviously a troll. Or: You think the Escapist community has reduced the word "Troll" to a meaningless syllable, you're obviously trolling.

It's like "haters".

It is a word used by everyone who likes something that has gotten unpopular. It's an excuse to disregard someone's opinion, no matter how valid.

You don't like Justin Bieber? You're a hater because he makes more money than you.

You don't like CoD? You're a hater because it's popular.

while on other sites "troll" is still refers to the people who invade a topic and are needlessly offensive with the sole purpose of derailing the conversation or people who post pictures of diseased dicks on image boards all day long.

That definition is also wrong. Those are grievers and don't care about being detected.

A good troll can work up the "hierarchy" until he is no longer viewed as a "newbie" so that people actually consider his views. His posts will derail the community, but he will only provoke those reactions, not try to divide them himself.

I love trolling. It is after all, as they say, an science.

It's even more refined. It's an art. It depends on theories but it is hugely influenced by the "artist", since psychology is one of the sciences that changes the most.

 

[Crazy]

Trolling is funny as hell if done right, for all you buzzkills here.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

Trolling is plain old anti-social behaviour, nothing new or fancy.

it's the online equivalent of standing up in the middle of a dinner party and pissing all over the table.

what? that's not hilarious?

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Snip

This is off topic but your avatar is awesome. I love the IT Crowd!

OT: I'm gonna agree with a few people above me in saying that when a troll is against someone who is asking for it (like some 12 year old scouse kid on XBL) and is done in a clever and witty way then yeh I'll find it funny. But when it is basically just insulting random people or even whole communities then that is when it's stops being funny and starts being annoying.

 

[Frostwhisper21]

I support subtle, hilarious trolling, because humour>all to me.

However, when it's blatant and unfunny, or it actually affects the world in a serious way (i'm sure some viruses have been made for the sake of trolling, and this is the equivalent of book-burning to me) i can't really support it.

You can say it's the internet all you want, but you're still a real person dealing with real people, and whatever you do online speaks to the kind of person you are. Whether that matters of course, is up to you (it really doesn't to me...) thanks to good ol' social self-control in the real world.

 

[TheSaw]

I love trolling. It is after all, as they say, an science.

I concur, I also love trolling.
It is a art after all.

 

[chiefohara]

Trolling isn't an art.

Trolling is being an arsehole. People troll because they are bored or vindictive.

There is nothing creative or artistic about it.

 

[Palademon]

I only troll when I feel I'm justified in insulting someone's intelligence online, or tkaing the piss, but I wouldn't do it here where discussion actually matters.

 

[Aurora Firestorm]

No. No, no, no. Trolls are people with the minds of 12-year-olds who have an extra sadistic kick to their humor. Nothing good can ever come out of this. We need Penny Arcade's "Gabe punches you over the internet" device for this.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Trolling between good friends usually causes a little peal of amusement. Y'know, harmless entertainment, seeing as everyone involved knows who is joking and/or being disruptive and why.

Trolling in more public spaces, like this forum or any MMO, always felt like a pathetic attempt at attention-grabbing to me. Cheeky trolls can get a laugh out of me, but then there's the random angry 12 year-old troll who spits out offensive drivel because he can.

I just ignore that second type. I mean, seriously. If you, as a person, happen to find that causing others to rage is entertaining, then you're a sad, sad waste of life.

 

[Yureina]

Ah trolling...

Can I admit that I love it sometimes? Having spent quite a bit of time on various internet forums, i've seen quite a few of these, especially during my WoW years. But every once in a while, I end up making a friend out of a really good forum troll. And I mean really good.

What I mean by a "good troll" are the people who can use their words to really piss someone off, and yet never get in trouble for it. The kind of people who are really subtle and say nothing that is obviously offensive. Indeed, the troll post might not affect anyone else but the intended target. And, of course, the ultimate objective of trolling is to piss the other guy off enough that he gets in trouble himself while the troll simply walks away with a smile on their face. That, to me, is a good troll. The bad trolls are the ones who get caught and punished, which is a large majority of trolls.

So... I like good trolls because they are hilarious and often very awesome people to spend time with. Bad trolls though... they're just annoying, and thankfully they tend to go away fast because they get the banhammer.

Trolling is an art. An art that most people are shit at. But when you see a good one... it is awesome. XD

 

[Kinguendo]

No such thing a "Trolling", just trying to escape the very negative termanology we of the old-ways still use... "Stupid Dickheads".

Say something stupid? Well done, you are now known as being stupid... What? You did it on purpose? We dont care, your word is clearly not trustworthy and anything intelligent you say from now on cannot redeem yourself as you are on the internet thus can just be looking up said "intelligent" thing.

 

[Atlas13]

It's amazingly hilarious when done right. Like with Team Roomba, or Ralphie. Being competitive is an alright thing to do, but when something happens you just have to laugh at it. It's just a game after all.