Trolls: They Solemnly Swear They are Up to No Good

When I hear the word trolls, I am mentally transported back to the first book in the Harry Potter series. There’s a scene in the book in which a troll is found in the dungeon. An anxious Harry and Ron sneak away from the safety of their dorms to search out a missing Hermione. They find her and the troll in the girl’s bathroom. In a show of both bravery and stupidity, the two young boys rescue a frightened Hermione and defeat the troll. The event builds camaraderie between the three young Gryffindors and marks the beginning of a lifelong friendship for one of our favorite literary trios.

Although this story seems to have nothing to do with Internet trolling, I think there are some parallels to be found between these two types of trolls. Online trolls are not too different from Harry Potter trolls: they are mean-spirited, ugly, insensitive, and sometimes even threating or dangerous. They often target women, especially women who dare to write about controversial topics such as racisms, misogyny, or feminism, as we read about in our article packet.  Trolls are hard to simply ignore, and there is no quick fix to the problems they bring. Even in the magical world of Harry Potter, the troll was defeated only after a boy jumped on its back, a wand was thrust up its nose, and a club had fallen on its head.  

Why aren't there more Harrys and Rons in this world? Why don't more people try to defeat trolls, or at least counter online negativity with positivity? I know many of us, when we read a particularly inspiring book, article, or blog, find ourselves nodding in agreement with what is said but then don't care enough to do let our thoughts lead to action. It's not hard for us to write positive comments, tweets, messages, or emails to authors to show our gratitude for their great work, and yet so many of us don't take the time to do this.

Some people, however, have taken the time to spread positivity on the web. I find a great example of this with Goodreads, an online site I use that is basically the book equivalent of Facebook. On the site, readers can keep track of what books they've read, get suggestions for new books to read, see what books their friends are reading, and write reviews. For the most part, I've been impressed by the reviews people have written. Many readers take the time to praise books on the site. Even readers who don't particularly like a book never senselessly belittle the author, but instead give a polite and succinct explanation for their opinion. Sure, there are still plenty of people who troll on the site; however, I find that there is also a plethora of people who are letting their positive ideas be heard and are making a difference on the site. 

I think that the online community that Goodreads has created is amazing. It's not perfect, but it's an example of how we can use technology for good. My question for you is, what specific measures can we take to combat online negativity with positivity?

Hope you spend your evening reading about trolls: the Harry Potter kind, of course!