The internet is rife with trolls. They spam Facebook posts and clog up Twitter feeds, causing trouble and trying to pressure people. They are total pests. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of our top moves on how to deal with trolls.
- Starve them out
It’s completely understandable to want to wage war on trolls via your keyboard, but trolls thrive on the anger, frustration and annoyance of others. This means that the angrier you get, the stronger they become. So, the best way to rid the internet of trolls is to starve them of reaction.
This can be quite difficult. It’s worth remembering that trolls don’t believe what they write, so you can’t beat them with logic or facts. When you’re being trolled, the best thing to do is ignore the posts. Eventually, they’ll probably tire of it themselves.
- Record it
Take a screenshot so you have a record of the original post. This covers you if the person tries to edit or delete your post when they realise they might get them in trouble. These records can also be useful if things escalate and you need to take things further.
- Stand up for yourself
You can ignore trolls and still stand up against them. Most social networks have special features to make you feel safe online. Report harmful posts and block the user so that they can no longer harass you.
Before you complain, you need to: have copies of the cyberbullying material ready to upload (screenshots or photos) report the material to the social network (if possible) at least 48 hours before you fill in the form collect as much information as possible about where the material is located set aside 15-20 minutes to fill in the form.
- Log off
It can be really overwhelming when trolls are constantly harassing you. While you can’t control other people’s trolling behaviour, you can try to limit the amount of time you spend dealing with them.
Logging out of social media can be really difficult, but it’s a good idea if you’re feeling upset. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go offline completely; you can simply try turning off push notifications, logging out of accounts that are most affected by trolling, or removing social media apps from your phone and only logging in when you’re at home.
- Tell someone you trust
It can be helpful to talk to someone if trolls are getting you down. It can be really hard, but it can make you feel a lot better. Choose someone you trust who will be able to give you the help you need. Work out in advance what you want to say, focusing on how the experience is affecting you and what help you want from them. If the person does not give you the support you are looking for, try talking to someone else.