Science Proves That Trolls Ruin Everything

[btenkink]

"Human Beings are emotional first and rational second". It's not every day a scientist admits that.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Do we really needed an scitentify experiment to explain that? I thought everyone who encounter troll already know that?

 

[Texas Joker 52]

You know, while I'm not surprised by the basic result of their study, that certain things bypass the part of our brains that keep us rational and calm, I am surprised about the mention of Mass Effect 3.

And not the fact that those 1,183 participants, were all of Legions runtimes [http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Legion].

I can't help but find that rather funny, especially since he apparently came up with a consensus when it comes to trolls.

 

[Lunar Templar]

I 'train my self' against 'trolls'.

I hang out on the Vindictus forums some times, no mods there so they're all over the place

 

[Sylveria]

I'd be curious to see the effects of draconian moderation on this process. When you see someone saying something inflammatory and ignorant and you come up with that witty, biting come-back but you can't let it loose, thus offering yourself some cathartic relief and returning yourself to a more rational state, because you know you, as a relatively responsible human-being, will likely be punished for your statement as it is directed while the troll itself will often receive no penalty for their behavior because it is non-directed.

Of course, moderation is incredibly inconsistent and often at the whims of the moderators personal bias.

 

[thepyrethatburns]

I'm not sure that I buy into this for two reasons.

1) When I troll, I usually do it for a higher purpose than just saying "U mad, bro?" Trolling, even if it is using reducto ad absurdum responses, can be used to illustrate counterpoints. Even medieval kings recognized the value of having a troll around in the form of the Court Fool.

2) My problem with the study is that it claims that it is that easy to bypass the rational part of our brain. Given the current debate over whether our culture, including video games, shapes us into more aggressive people (if not out-and-out violent people), I would be hesitant to praise this one study as concrete evidence. If trolling on an internet forum can bypass our rational side so easily, how much more so does playing a violent video game whose sole intent is to bypass the rational part of our brain? Worse, how much more stress would losing at an online game such as COD whose population are largely trolls add to the stress that real life already puts on our irrational side? Over time, the long-term exposure could easily make a normal person a completely irrational person. If you add a pre-existing mental condition to the mix, the effects could be much worse.

If we accept this study at face value, then the implications of this study would indicate that we really should take a closer look at our "violence culture", games included. I'm not sure I'm ready to accept such a claim at face value.

 

[Grottnikk]

Don't forget that some "obvious" things aren't really the way we all think. Take William James's Bear, for example, or the Rorschach butterfly. You gotta test things to be sure, even if you THINK it's a no-brainer.

 

[Lonewolfm16]

I find it odd that there's no link to what the study defined a "troll" to be.

It is odd because many people disagree on exactly what a troll is. To some people it's someone who plays devil's advocate, to others it is someone who enters a thread saying something with the intent of riling others up, and sometimes it's just someone who disagrees with you.

I thought the term for someone who just spouts obscenities or negative opinion over something was a "flamer", not a "troll".

I'd say flamers are a subset of trolls. The accepted definition for troll, at least to my knowledge, is someone who posts diliberatly offensive things in order to upset and anger others. Mabey we should divide them elementally. You know, flame trolls are super angry obscenity spewing balls of rage, rock trolls are delibratly stupid and illogical, ice trolls can be... something else ect.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Oh come the fuck on!

We all know THAT! We didn't need science to confirm it!

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Don't worry, I have my jar of Turkish miak; I'm good to go.

Not Turkish Miak! You need Bulgarian Miak! You crazy son of a-- You'll kill us All!!

OT: Yeah, I believe that.

 

[Dangit2019]

Let's list all of the internet things that this explains:

Sexism threads
Friendzone threads
ME3 threads
Mlp threads

and whatever the hell 123fakestreet posts whenever he comes around.

 

[Namechangeday]

Is it just me or do trolls...I mean scientists have too much time on their hands? Have we already found all the world secrets and need something new to study? Are there more scientists than there is science? Well then, I'll just find these answers once I read though this forum.

 

[General Vagueness]

When people get offended or angry they get defensive? wow, what a discovery

 

[Evil Smurf]

So don't be a dick and it will all be okay?

http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/1300000/Troll-Doll-troll-dolls-1353646-302-450.jpg
Fine, I'll just go home then.

 

[Caffeine_Bombed]

The main thing I took away from this article is that Science could be observing us right now... ¬_¬

Change could to is and you have it.

We're through the looking glass-here, people...

 

[Twilight_guy]

Another reason to dislike trolls. And this time that reason is SCIENCE! You heard it here first people, science tells you that trolling is bad. Don't be a troll and don't feed the troll... FOR SCIENCE!!!!!

 

[Strazdas]

First of all they dont seem to know what a real troll is.
trolls is a prankster. ir originated from practical jokes and went into ways to trick people.
now however every idiot who flames anyone is labeled a troll so news like this appear. Thank you, internet, for ruining yet another concept.
If i have learned anything being a scientist is that most scientists dont really know squat their talking about. Its just that the average audience know even less and as such they think they know thier stuff.


beside that, all i thought reading the article was this:

 

[Airon]

I think I shall begin most posts with this picture.

Can we talk ?

 

[kouriichi]

Who are you to judge my way of life?! You find me pathetic even though you dont even know me?

Thats what truly holds the world back these days. Treating others poorly based on their life choices! Discrimination has never led to anything good in our world. Maybe if you and all the parents who think "Violent video games are evil", opened your eyes to the truth that its not the troll, or the game that's the problem, its poor parenting and bigotry that are!

But i will forgive your quick judgement on my nature, and extend an olive branch of friendship. Not because im the bigger man, but because its the right thing to do.

Oh-ho-ho-ho. I've got my eye on you, mister! You shan't affect me in any meaningful way, no sir! But, the thing is, "professional troll", "devil's advocate", I don't know...those things are quite difficult to pull off since they obviously need to have the proper motivation, and often people misinterpret them as "antagonizing people for the sake of antagonizing them".

It only gets worse when discussing serious issues like climate change or Mass Effect 3

I see what you did there!

I wouldnt say ive ever "Antagonized" people. More like..... "Brought forth the most important thing we humans can have".

Feelings. I have given others the gift of knowing they are alive. Love, anger, confusion, things like these are what make us alive! Without them we are nothing but a shell. I have shown people how to feel! How to live and breath! Even if I must be the target of the more base emotions such as anger, and rage, so be it, if it means I am doing what i know is the right thing.

But please, dont think me as a martyr, im only doing what others wouldnt. Caring. Because caring is important. Just as you care for your family, i care for all mankind! And i only wish to share this caring, this feeling of being alive. If thats not motivation, than i dont know what is.

 

[Distance_warrior]

Actually I think the real point of this article can be summed up with the wise saying "Arguing on the internet is like competing in the Special Olympics: even if you win, you're still retarded." It is for the exact reason that you brought up: 9 times out of 10 no matter how well thought out, stated, and expressed your opinion might be, the chances of actually changing someone else's opinion is nearly impossible. What's the moral of the story? What we all already knew: just ignore the jackass saying things clearly just to piss you off.

(excitedly pleased at the prospect of intelligent discussion)I actually kinda disagree with you. While I'll admit that the chance of actually changing someone's mind on the internet is slim to nil I whole heartedly disagree with the idea that I can not be done. There is not really anything about the internet that make changing minds with it any more difficult than with a book or print article. The point I see behind this argument is that the main reason why this doesn't happen is that on the internet people don't normally have the social graces that they have in real life and resort to mean spirited tones to express their frustration. This idea is kinda based on the fact that the original article from what I read only described the comments as "inflammatory" and "rude" and trolling seems to have been added by the various media that this article has been passed down from. The escapist at this point is getting its data from io9 not the original article.