Trolling Around

   Social Media has given opened us to so many wonderful opportunities.  It allows us to open up to put our opinions out there and have other individuals view it. Not everybody is going to like what we have to say and what we do online but since you can have an opinion well so can they.  There happen to be certain individuals that love to start up problems with what you have to say and although they are allowed to express what they want there should be a certain limit on how far things should be taken.  It's so easy to say things when you're only facing a screen but many don't realize how much it can affect someone's feelings. It can lead to them lowering their self esteem and making them feel less of a person when we are all the same.
   If someone agrees with what you're saying it can give you a really good feeling inside but it's definitely not the same impact when someone bashes what you have to say. Individuals tend to have such stronger feeling towards things they disagree on which is something a lot of us will never understand exactly why. I have seen many of these trolling incidents on most teens favorite app, Twitter. I have seen many people, especially girls, put each other down for no good apparent reason and I don't think I'll ever understand how they get joy out of that. By putting someone behind the screen takes away the moment of feeling guilty or bad for what they're doing because you don't get an immediate reaction off of the other person. If the troll were to ever be confronted there typical response would be "learn how to take a joke", "I was kidding", "well you deserve it" but there is a huge difference between joking around and trolling around.

I Hate Trolls

I hate trolls

This whole topic about trolls has got my blood boiling because I hate people who mess with others 

over the internet and can get away with it because we can't see them through a screen. Lately I've 

been noticing only two types of trolls on the internet, the funny ones and the others that take it too 

far. Many people may know the websites 4Chan and Reddit, the most troll infested online places I 

know of and honestly I can't believe the things people talk about. To me trolls are people who have

nothing better with there lives so they make other peoples lives miserable for there own entertainment. When you try to fight back they will always have something to say because apparently over the internet they're invincible, the only way to beat a troll is just to ignore them.

So what if they keep posting stuff about you on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. They're wasting their own time doing these things and for what, to make you as miserable as them. It's like your having a good conversation with someone and then a troll appears to post a comment that upsets almost everyone.There is no real purpose behind a trolls comment but to make people angry. they will lie, exaggerate, and offend just to get a response. This is just from my experience.

Trolls truly enjoy making you feel bad.

Can it be stopped?

Usually bullies attempt to make themselves appear powerful and better than others through the act of bullying. Some people get bullied in person while others are bullied through the Internet by trolls. Whatever the case, they both have harmful results. Many people hide behind a screen typing inappropriate and cruel remarks. Numerous individuals think that their words are simply words and will not affect the target whom they are aiming at. However, this is not the case. Words are extremely powerful and can be taken straight to the heart.

At some point we are all told that other people's opinions of us don't matter as long as we are happy with ourselves. Nonetheless, negative statements tend to stay in our minds longer than a positive one will. I used to use the social media app called Ask.fm. Although it was a site meant for innocent anonymous questions, sometimes I would receive hateful and unkind statements. Knowing that someone else thought negative things of me caused me to question myself and feel self conscious. I am just an average teenage girl but there are various celebrities who constantly receive hate. I cannot imagine how famous individuals must constantly feel. 

Having unkind things said about you or to you makes one feel melancholy. We never know what a person is going through in their personal life. We can say "I know how you feel" but we don't really know how they feel because everyone's feelings are unique. We may be able to relate but never feel the same thing. Bullies and Internet trolls can cause a person to feel so depressed that it affects the person's daily life. If a person is depressed and the bully is aware of it and suspects their harassing may cause them to attempt suicide and it happens, the bully will be held responsible. 

How can cyber-bullying be prevented? Is shutting down or deleting an app the only way to avoid being harassed online altogether? Should remarks being made by cyberbullies be taken seriously and/or personally? 

Be Kind to Each Other

Our current unit is about online trolls and cyber bullying. When I think of a troll, I think of a Troll Doll, you know the ones with rainbow colored hair, that sticks straight up. It sad to think this, but an internet troll is probably more common than a Troll Doll. Some apps like Yik Yak and Tumblr have the options to post things anonymously. Especially on Tumblr, people post things they wouldn’t want to share on Facebook or Instagram. The mixture of people sharing personal things and being vulnerable and having the option to comment anonymously is a recipe for trouble. Women, people that speak their mind, or anyone that is slightly different are easy targets for trolling. In the past, it’s always been the kids that are “different” or “unique” are targets for bullying at school. Nothing about that has changed, other than the bullies have a new way to harass people via the internet.  The hurtful things said over the internet, would never be said to someone’s face. There is a difference between typing things and sending them electronically, than saying them in person and watching someone’s reaction. Trolls use the computer screen as a mask.

          When social media, like twitter, is used to troll someone the situation escalates. If something is said about someone on twitter, people can favorite or retweet it, which just adds fuel to the fire. Just imagine someone saying something negative about you on twitter then seeing dozens of your classmates favoriting and retweeting it. It’s easy to say “just block them” or “take a break from social media” but blocking them doesn't change the fact that someone said horrible things about you on a public platform. The horrible things said over social media will scar people forever.  Why should someone give up their social media because others are using their profiles in harmful ways? The idea that someone would but so much time and effort or any effort at all into intentionally hurting someone over the internet is so uncivil. The people who recreationally abuse others on the internet should refocus their energy into something productive. The internet is such a useful tool, it's saddening that it’s being used for so much evil. Cyberbullying is on the rise and there doesn't seem to be any end insight. So, in the meantime all we can do is stick up for those who attacked by trolls and try to use the internet for good. Be kind to each other.

The Value of Friendship

I don't care how many friends you have, whether it's one or one-hundred, friendship is something of great value. But, what is a friend?
A friend can often be compared to a sibling. They care about you, they give you a hard time, they only want to see you happy, and you guys may not always agree, but you love each other unconditionally. I personally see friendship as the greatest value in life because of the way I've come to know it. I have 8  close friends that I see as brothers. My parents know all of them and we all agree that blood relation could not make us anymore closer than we already are. I've known some of them since I was in elementary school and some I just met a year ago, but I've realized that time is not a measurement of friendship: loyalty and love is.
I understand that maybe some of you see friendship differently and your take on it is just as good as mine, but I do feel that it is the most important aspect of my life. I've come to know friendship as more than just someone to eat lunch with at school. It's someone to keep you company when you're lonely. Someone to make you smile on your worst day because their happiness is a reflection of yours. There's so much to friendship on such a deep level that gives it unexplainable value. Don't take my word for it though; give me some feedback about what you think of friendship.
Thanks for reading. Yours truly,
Joe Emmsley

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!

You kids are bloggers

I am happy to see most of the class out here, and I ESPECIALLY like it when you read and comment on one another's posts.  I often find it very moving when you kids are kind and just present for one another in this public way.  Thank you to the comment writers during first quarter -- Kaila, Heidi, Chris, Neil, Marissa, Annalise, Devon, Joe, Sarah, Rebecca and Marquis...very great work.