Lately, a lot of old threads I started have been searched and discussion started again about the topic. One thread feature some rough interaction between me and another member over what I saw as trolling. If I remember corrrectly, we talked privately and came to an understanding.
That brings me to my topic, trolling. In my opinion, trolling is when one deliberately goes against the consensus of a thread just to get a reaction. Here is an example: a few years ago, Ronnie James Dio died and there was a tribute thread in his honor. I read the thread and learned more about an artist who I only knew of through old videos and I learned about him and his variety of Metal. I left the thread more knowledgeable. I contrast this to when Prince died and the great majority mourned his passing, but some people took great pleasure in saying how they disliked him or recounted stories they were negative. Of course, their defense was that they had a right to express their opinions.
My question is when does opinion turn into trolling? I feel that we should look at the tenor of a thread. Is it a commemoration or is it a genuine discussion? People posting might want to ask themselves if they really want to take part in a discussion or do they just want to toss a stink bomb?
The bottom line is that I think as a community, we should strive for intelligent conversation instead of simply stirring up controversy, I know it can be hard to know where to draw the line.
That brings me to my topic, trolling. In my opinion, trolling is when one deliberately goes against the consensus of a thread just to get a reaction. Here is an example: a few years ago, Ronnie James Dio died and there was a tribute thread in his honor. I read the thread and learned more about an artist who I only knew of through old videos and I learned about him and his variety of Metal. I left the thread more knowledgeable. I contrast this to when Prince died and the great majority mourned his passing, but some people took great pleasure in saying how they disliked him or recounted stories they were negative. Of course, their defense was that they had a right to express their opinions.
My question is when does opinion turn into trolling? I feel that we should look at the tenor of a thread. Is it a commemoration or is it a genuine discussion? People posting might want to ask themselves if they really want to take part in a discussion or do they just want to toss a stink bomb?
The bottom line is that I think as a community, we should strive for intelligent conversation instead of simply stirring up controversy, I know it can be hard to know where to draw the line.
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