But what about the internet kind?
For those who aren't aware, let me give a brief explanation of what a troll is:
They will be one of two things. A) REALLY funny and pretty harmless. B) REALLY funny and absolutely soul-destroying. After spending as much time as I have around trolls, the second form becomes REALLY unfunny. For those still confused, let me give a more visual example.
On the interweb, you will have probably encountered many-a-troll, if you don't know how to spot them. Back when trolling was first being discovered as an "art form", trolls made pretty hysterical things happen. They were true internet heroes. But, unfortunately, as we all know, the internet became the place where all bad things are worshiped, and trolling became less about funny scenarios, and focused more on the mindfuck part. Mindfuck evolved into intentionally piss off. Intentionally piss off evolved into cause EXTREME rage then point out the rage(u mad?) as though this means anything substantial.
To most people who spend too much time on the internet, the sight of ANYONE being wound up or insulted online is a cause for instant fits of hysterical laughter. Why? Because somewhere down the line, it became a good idea to cause negative emotions unto strangers. I have to admit, it can produce funny results, but when a person is just plain upset or pissed off, I don't find humour in it. It becomes easy to disolve any humanity from an online alias, when all a person consists of is text and screen-name.
In a similar vein, it becomes INCREDIBELY easy to troll and mislead someone when all YOU consist of is text and a screen name. Without visible emotions, body language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and a visible face infront of you, 90% of communication is being scrambled before your very eyes. If I spoke in a monotone like a robot and said "I want to squeeze you to death" you'd probably think "what's your problem ass-node?", but if I said in a sing song voice with a smile on my face, "I want to squeeze you to death!" You'd think "awww..." (if you are a guy, nohomo).
So, if you read some text that says something like "British people have disgusting teeth", the average Brit would read it, become highly annoyed, and retaliate, probably unaware of what a troll even is.
So is this deception REALLY the art form they claim it is? Sure, it is sometimes impressive, but when you break down the elements that achieved the "trolling", it's more suprising how anyone CAN'T troll online. All you have to do is say "Fuck USA" anywhere on the net, and I guarantee you someone will shout about sending the Marines to destory your country. The internet is a fickle place, equal parts epic and terrifying, just like real life. The difference being, you are more readily able to choose whether you see the epic or the terrifying of the internet than you are in real life. And for some, the epic is ruining other people's day.
Trolling has removed the word "Joking" as far as the internet is concerned, and you can no longer have a light hearted giggle without someone claiming you are a troll. Every forum or message board of any relevance will have many a troll lurking about the place, and when they spot a fellow troll, they congratulate them on their ability to cause discord and chaos.
Well riddle me this trolls. Can you troll in the real world? Can you achieve the levels of deception your text incites with 90% of your communication added back in? Can you get as much joy runining someone's day when you see the reaction on their faces, and the emotions they exhibit in real life?
Probably not.
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