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It is worth writing a post on a controversial topic, and they are right there. Angry jokes, devaluing comments, and accusations are the hallmarks of trolls. The psychologist told why they behave this way and how to respond to such comments on the Internet.
Why does the behavior of commentators become toxic?
There are many reasons, we list the main ones.
Anger
Most of us have had a lot of repressed aggression before. But today’s situation gives rise to even more anger and indignation in people. Few know how to “drain” aggression in an environmentally friendly way, and it breaks through in virtual communication. Many psychologists recommend right now to protect yourself from other people’s negativity and spend less time on social networks.
Offense
For the whole world, others, relatives, colleagues, ex-partner, geopolitics — the options are numerous. Some of us do not feel needed and loved, believe that they were treated unfairly and begin to take revenge on everyone.
Envy
This is another important reason. The feeling of envy is inherent in each of us in one way or another. And the only question is how we treat it: we indulge, deny or honestly admit to ourselves in it. For online trolls, envy becomes the force that drives them to new tricks and tricks.
Loneliness
This state or feeling manifests itself in different ways. Some of us may feel like we are in real or perceived isolation from other people. And this belief, often misguided, can be a trigger for toxic behavior.
“Trolls are toxic people who tend to provoke their interlocutors in order to get attention. And the more actively we begin to get involved in a verbal skirmish with them, the more malicious commentators enjoy this, ”explains cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist Ekaterina Semenova.
In order to recognize a troll on the network, first of all, you should pay attention to the name (nickname) and profile picture. The absence of a real photo, a photo of an animal, nature, or just a graphic image may mean that the user does not want to show his face, open up to his interlocutors. Such secrecy becomes the first signal and makes us think about its causes.
Here are a few more signs that will help you recognize a troll before it can harm you.
The commentator often makes remarks that are not on the topic of discussion or completely veers from the subject of the conversation.
Refuses to accept evidence, even if it is ironclad.
Manipulates information, for example, uses a psychological trick with the phrase «you are not a stupid person, you understand that …».
Mixes true information with false information.
Goes into an attack on the personality of the interlocutor, counting on his sharp reaction.
Uses insults and threats when exposure is near.
Trolls are not compassionate, they can easily justify any emotional abuse and most often do not withdraw from communication until they achieve their goals.
A curious phenomenon in the network is custom trolling. Such commentators write from different accounts for a fee. And the main question: what attracts them to this kind of work?
How to avoid toxic relationships online
“Enmity will die out on its own if one of the two sides refuses to support it,” said Seneca. Stop taking the texts of the evil troll seriously — this is perhaps one of the surest strategies of behavior. In any case, we can learn not to react emotionally to his attacks.
The next step is a conscious strategy of behavior. This will help to analyze and perceive the behavior of trolls in the online space painlessly. The psychologist recommends:
Do not let your opinion be manipulated: in a conflict situation, listen to different points of view, think it over and only then make a decision.
Pay attention to the source of information, check the links, the accuracy of the data used by the opponent.
Do not participate in gossip, remember the folk wisdom: «What Peter says about Paul characterizes Peter, not Paul.»
And do not forget that we can protect our page on the social network from intruders in a fairly simple and well-known way: inform the administration of the social network about the appearance of a troll, back up our opinion with a fragment of correspondence. And finally, just block the «alien».