TROLL VERSUS TROLL IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Modern society has discovered its own little e-devil: the troll, a persona that plants an idea which is noisy, disruptive and negative in the minds of otherwise reasonable people

- HARISH BIJOOR

Who is a troll?

Merriam-Webster defines a troll to be “a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments”.

Modern society of the online variety has really discovered its own little e-devil. The troll is a persona that plants a thought or an idea that is noisy, disruptive, and negative. Something that can get people talking and debating. And most of the time, it is an anonymous entity, created for the purpose at hand.

The troll is therefore part of common modern lingo and living today. Our political parties, businesses, and indeed anyone with an agenda have used it to their advantage. While in the beginning, the troll was an individual, today, the troll is an institution as well. And some say there are troll factories amidst us. Normal-looking folks, now working from home, dishing out hate, angst, and disruptive comments by the minute. And the troll is here to stay.

Life in the fast lane of the internet and its communication avatars makes for an interesting watch. In the beginning, there is communication. Every individual with access to the internet and its many tools and apps is suddenly empowered. Empowered to post a thought, post a comment. Thoughts thus posted attract repartees, very civil ones in the beginning. As comment leads to counter-comment, the tone, tenor, and e-decibel of the discussion heat up. One wrong word gets twenty back and all civility vanishes.

Trolls, therefore, have the ability to hit hard and fast. They are forever awake and alive to every comment. And they are fast fingers on their phones and digital devices. The fastest we have seen thus far.