Trolls are weak

Trolls. Trolls are people who are weak and have nothing better to do. Let me tell you really what a troll is: someone who is weak and has nothing better to do. I honestly don't see the point in trolling. You're going online to make someone feel bad and on top of that you're anonymous. When someone posts something online or anything of that nature they don't want some random person saying rude things about what they're talking about. The satisfaction these trolls get from ruining peoples lives is sickening. I believe the reason people troll is because they are insecure with themselves and have issues coping with that. They cope with it by writing rude comments under peoples post and being anonymous at that. Trolling can have a huge effect on peoples lives causing them to harm themselves and even kill themselves.

-Tim Bowen

One of Society's Problems

Trolling is a serious problem. These are probably the most annoying things right now in our society. The world has evolutionized to use the internet for everything in life, like this blogging. People use things like this to say what they want and get things off their chest or just to be open about things in general. However, people like to believe it is okay to harass or bully someone because they are hiding behind a screen or for another unnecessary reason. People these days are cruel and have no actual morals to life, or even a sense of common courtesy.

Yeah, everybody's speech is protected by the First Amendment but there is no reason to abuse the right. There is no need to respond to other people’s posts with such cruel, nasty, and irrelevant comments that anybody should care about. We see more of this now because of how fast technology has moved but I think the cruelty was always there. People were just afraid to say anything face to face but now that there is way to say something to someone without saying it to their face.

However, no matter where someone goes in life, there is always  going to be that points out your flaws or whisper unnecessary comments. I believe people that post comments like that are either self-centered and narcissistic. Some don’t give themselves enough credit that they have to stoop low and say horrible things to others so that the victim feel the same as them.  While others just don’t know how to keep their mouths shut and keep scrolling down. How can people be like that towards other people?

-Elena M.

Internet as a Community

With recent events regarding internet trolling and cyber-bullying, let's not forget about the great things that the Internet brings to us. It's a platform where everyone internationally can gather and share culture and experience. Throughout the years, the internet has become the birthplace of innovation and the home of many great causes like kickstarter or gofundme, programs designed for the public to unite and help people in need. It is also a valuable resource that students, teachers, and practically everyone can use for free education and knowledge. That doesn't take away from the issue of trolling, but it seems to overshadow and erase all the good things that we have gotten from the internet. The other day, I was reading about how a woman ran out of gas and was stranded in the middle of a highway. A homeless man told her to keep her doors locked and used his last $20 to walk to the nearest station and came back with a canteen of gasoline. Later that night, that woman came back with her boyfriend to return the cash, provide him with shelter for the night, and started a fundraiser online to support him. That program went on to raise over $300,000 for that homeless man's good deed, and he currently has a place to eat, sleep, and is in the process of finding a job. These kind of events are just one among many, and it shows the amazing support that a united online community can provide. What benefits do you appreciate the most from the internet?

Lip Slip

What's nice, what's a bit too harsh? Everyone has their own standard for identifying these things in speech and in writing. One person might find the word "damn" as a word used to offend, when someone else might use it to congratulate a friend.
Who do we leave in charge for assigning what it considered appropriate and what is not acceptable? No one has a completely neutral enough mind to decide this, we all lean towards a side.

It's harder than ever to actually express yourself and say what you feel without someone being offended and attacking you. You can't breathe without someone flinching at the air you waste. How can we express our freedom to believe in what we want when someone in the depths of the internet is just waiting for you to turn around so they can pounce on you and deconstruct every word you exhaled until you are left speechless and afraid to ever let your tongue slip from the safety of silence? 

Benefit to Being Anonymous

As we near the end of this unit, I have realized that there are many positive uses to anonymous identities online. One of the examples discussed was the benefit of being able to discuss sensitive topics without people knowing who you are, or what you are possibly going through. I agreed that people should be able to remain anonymous for the purpose of  helping them talk about difficult things, such as, health conditions. My mom recently got diagnosed with autoimmune disease, a disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy cells, but did not really understand what this condition was originally. Being able to remain anonymous online allowed her to ask questions without feeling like she’s putting a spotlight on herself. A lot of research shared regarding health conditions is posted by anonymous users because they can speak out without fear of judgement. If we try to stop trolls by stopping anonymous users it could prevent the people seeking help from being helped. I do not think those who chose to use their anonymous rights in harmful ways should be able to take them away from those who use them as they should. In other words, we cannot chose to censor the positive conversations because a few people who cause harm because they have nothing better to do.
-Brooke Sasse

Stop Compl-ating!

Compl-ating, otherwise known as complaining/ hating. Many times we don't realize that we're complaining or hating until it's brought to light by a source other than yourself. It's this action of compl-ating that is only adding to the issues of trolling and other online bullying. As millennials, we are known for being for gay rights, wanting Bernie as President and also being very sensitive to all topics. Now, I'm not talking about the golden moments of our sensitivity like how the younger generations have been upset at the disrespect and poking fun at of other race and cultures during Halloween. I'm talking about the arguments many have started on taking in other cultures into your own. There have been many times when I've been scrolling through my Tumblr feed and see an argument brewing because some Korean star has "offended" the black community by having dreadlocks, or someone has started a long-winded rant about fetishizing biracial children.

How can we be so supportive and expressive of our freedoms to speech and expression, when we turn around and start "compl-ating" about people who do just that? This ties in with our Online and Anonymous topic because people do have the right to like and do as they please without everyone being in their business. Anonymity has its benefits along with its weak points. What are your thoughts on this? - Maya Washington

How I feel about the anonymous trolling I feel like trolling should be handled and they should get reported because they make the front of people that's goes through something. trolls laugh at people face and think its okay, but these type of things is serious. people kill their self because of trolling and doesn't help when you confront the trolls because they going to respond back and think its funny but should we-we respond back? , confront the troll? Do you think responding would make us feel better about our selves  ? just feel like ignoring is so much better. I feel like blocking is good too if your not a celebrity or also reporting. these trolls they are cruel and have no morals for nobody and that's how I personally feel and maybe they doing this because they getting anger out or because their jealous and that's how I feel I feel some trolls go through things in life and they want to see people suffer with them and make their life miserable for no reason and they do it to the innocent people that didn't do nothing bad to them and trolls want the attention, trolls want to be mess up, trolls want to be bully because they have a fake page and nobody can't do the same thing to them because we don't know who the trolls are. - Christine Walton

Online Communities

In all locations of the internet you will find communities.  There are communities centered around games, ones centered around people, and ones that are just centered on a specific topic.  While these are just three examples of the infinite world that is the community, these are probably the biggest of the communities.  These communities give feedback on whatever the topic but that feedback is not always nice.  In every community, you will always have those people that will just never be satisfied no matter what is given.  In a sense these kinds of people are just trolls whether they meant to be or not.  Trolls annoy others on purpose with the objective of trying to waste time or try to have some fun.  However, these never to be pleased people are not necessarily doing it on purpose as it is possible that they are genuinely just impossible to please.  With that said, if the majority of a community enjoys what new things come out and then there is just these few people saying how terrible these things are, it can hurt the creator a bit.  Feedback and bashing are two completely different things but when the "helpful" feedback comes in, the line between the two disappear.  A large amount of people on the internet lack the self control and end up posting whatever is on their mind in that moment whether they truly meant it or it was how they wanted to word it.  A shockingly large amount of rude comments and criticisms are regretted being typed almost immediately right after getting posted.  So it is important to take a minute before any sort of post or reply to a comment and think whether they meant it or not.  It is important to differentiate between feedback and hate.

-Brendan Stilwell

   Ever since the internet was created there has been multiple accounts of people being harassed. Trolling has been established as one of the bad reasons to go on the internet.  Many users of the internet can't tell their story, because of all the harassment that has been done to them. People that seek entertainment by harassing others disturb me because all they bring is negativity. Instead of just keeping to themselves, they’re cowards that hide behind screens. It's frustrating to me that nothing has been done to these trolls. My hope is that one day we can get  rid of trolls through things like banning accounts.  

One of the ways that would make an instant impact on trolling is banning accounts. Although there has been some movement in this area, a greater change could come from banning all accounts from specific ip address. This would force trollers to work harder to create negativity on the internet. It would also make them think twice before making a comment that could jeopardize their access to their favorite social media website.  Overall banning trolls is the fastest way to clean up the internet.    

The internet has changed the world forever in a positive way, hopefully we can make it a safe place to be yourself, share your stories, and bring value to others. In order to get there we will have to make strides in protecting others. Nevertheless my idea is just one way to prevent trolling, what is your best idea?  

--Michael Garavito

Are humans inherently bad?

Are humans inherently bad creatures?  Based off the recent readings about trolling, I'd come to the conclusion that we are.  If one is to really look deeper into the idea behind trolling, it's easy to notice that humans will show their true selves when given the opportunity.  When trolling, a person can be anonymous.  A troll faces no consequences when they post online anonymously.  There are many things people would like to do in life that are considered wrong, yet they don't in fear of the social backlash they'd receive in real life.  When a person doesn't have to worry about being caught participating in a socially unacceptable act, that person will go through with the act.  This act can be as little as tooting in public.  It's harmless, but it's also frowned upon when doing it in public.  However, when verbally abusing someone in public, it's not only seen as inappropriate, but it can harm people mentally. In both these cases, people won't toot or insult a person in public.  It's interesting to note that when participating in online communities, people will take advantage of being anonymous and harm others with words.  Because there are no consequences when verbally abusing others online, trolls will do just that.  The fact that a person would hurt someone they don't even know merely for pleasure leads me to believe that people are inherently bad.  I'm reminded of a quote I read online the other day saying, "The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are."  A troll would be the third face in this case, because surely they would never act that way in front of anyone.  Although everyone has this third face, I believe trolls enable us to see the true nature of humans, which is that we are all bad.  

-Jaime Izabal

Strength and Courage Through Anonymity

Anonymity has been around since the creation of the internet. Through anonymity, people are able to express their thoughts, feelings, and point of view with courage and safety knowing that they are protected with their identity safely being unidentified. Though some people like Tillman, writer of the article, "Woman and Minorities as Targets" may think that , as he mentioned in his article, "allowing anonymity is just giving certain people mask to troll others." Anonymity doesn't just allow people to troll others, but it gives people strength and courage to express themselves. It allows those who are scared to speak their mind without the fear of trolls or other people to send hate mail to them. Strength and courage are traits that or nation needs in the world we live in today. Especially considering that the times are changing and we are going to need all the strength and courage we can muster up. Anonymity can provide these characteristics that we most desire. People that are anti anonymity may argue that anonymity would only invite impoliteness. However, intellectual conversations are sometimes sparked through impoliteness. It doesn't mean if you don't agree with the person you should censor them out. Everyone should respect other people's views even if its mean or if they disagree.

Coexisting with one another

Online anonymity, as most people put it, is a way for people like trolls to torment others for usual reasons such as cyber-bullying.  In that case, even though there are negative aspects to anonymity, there are the other side of people which consist of the minorities, the LGBT community, and controversial public figures that also benefit.  If these groups couldn't hide their identities, then they may feel that they would be marginalized, or targeted for their sexuality or appearance.  Therefore, more people can find the strength to speak out what they feel, and not have to be insulted or discriminated.  This also creates better conversations, because there is nothing in the way of conversing with one another.  When what is actually said, and not what someone identifies as, comes to relevance, then we are more progressive in solving issues.  Even if they erased online anonymity, people still have the right to say and publish what they want, since it does fall under the first amendment.  Thus, being able to hide your identity, serves us all whether positive or negative.  For the negative side, you can report the abuse, or simply ignore it.  Other then that, we must use anonymity to our advantage to spread our opinions, and our positivity through the internet.  Maybe then, we can overshadow the trolls, and they can make a change for the better.  Then, we can all coexist as a community that can discuss, and share ideas with one another.  If that can happen, then the online world will be even more fascinating. - LaVanton Gilmore

Take Down the Haters !!!!

 When a person who is a social user online has a voice out there a troll will always fire back to them . Trolls are haters or online users who are really jealous because someone else is expressing their thoughts or voice online. Trolls feel like they have the right to hate people online and saying mean comments . What I really hate is that trolls don't understand the hate and pain they cause someone else due to their hateful opinions and harassment that they cause others . Like for example many trolls that hate online use  an Anonymous face online in order to not revealed their true identity online. They use their Anonymous face so that their rude comments  are seen and not their face . Their purpose is to get the attention to the message but not the writer . So in my opinion I think that a way that we can get rid of a troll online is to stop the right to be an Anonymous user online , without  it many trolls can be stopped and have a shame to hurt others . Stopping Anonymity will be a useful way to stop the haters from online.In other words trolls will be out  their secret Identity and expose out to the public . The meaning to exposing trolls online will no longer have effect on hating on minorities like women of people of color which are the main targets of trolls online . Hopefully if the Anonymous face  online can  no longer be available the hate online will go decrease.




 !!!! Besides stopping the Anonymous face online what else can we do ?
Any other suggestion ?
- Vanessa Arceo

Know how you want to be

On the Internet today you are given the chance to be whoever you want to be. You can be a person who talks about the things they love, your favorite sci-fi movies, how your life is going, their favorite type of flowers, political view, etc., but with all the good things you can online you can also do bad like harassing or a.k.a "Trolling" others online. In today world trolling has to take a new form of harassment, sending death threats, making fun of their looks or view, and data mining their personal information to find more ways to get to them or embarrass them. Many people have their owns views on trolling saying either "It'cyber-bullying" or "It's a piece of art". Whatever you look at it just remember that you have a choice to change a person day but either giving them positive of negative words. Just remember that if you wish to start trolling others that their still human beings with feelings and they use the Internet to get away from the stress of real life and really express themselves.

Net Neutrality- Pro or Con

Currently net neutrality is trending. It's a huge deal because who wants to pay for internet ?  People use the internet everyday as an escape from real life. Although, I cant tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I guess if we had to pay for the internet many people just wouldn't use it. Not having our eyes glued to the screen would give us an excuse to get outside. Also, it would cut trolls out picture, or at least the ones online. But what about the people who use the internet for their careers ? They would loose lots of supporters, which would eventually lead them to the loss of lots of money. And what about the people who use the internet to get in touch with their families. Net neutrality has its pros and cons, mainly cons though. i feel like if enough people speak their mind, we'll win. But if not, then say goodbye to your other identities.

Could This Be My Last Blog Post?

As you must of heard in recent news, Net Neutrality was recently repealed on December 14, 2017 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by its chairperson Ajit Pai. If you dont know much about Net Neutrality it is the Net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers (ISPs), such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile. etc, treat all content equally and not give preference to some digital content providers. That means the consumer can load every website, app, video, .gif, etc., equally, regardless of where the content is hosted. For example, an ISP may not charge more for sites that stream movies or promote a specific agenda. This is also referred to as the open internet. Without Net Neutrality internet providers will make you pay extra to still be able to have these luxuries and those who don't pay will not the the same internet speed or even be able to use the apps.


Now that you are informed of this situation, lets go back to the topic of our discussion: how will this effect trolling?

In my opinion I think this will stop a lot of trolling on the internet. Trolls love the free use of the internet because it's a service where they can say whatever they want free of charge. With Net Neutrality being repealed, would people still want to pay just to say their hateful comments online? If they are extreme and have money to waste then I guess, but for the majority of trolls it wouldn't be worth it anymore. Now this doesn't change my opinion on how Net Neutrality is unfair to people who already pay the initial fee to have internet in their households, businesses, etc. but the upside of this situation could be the decline in trolls on the internet.

What is your stand on this situation? Or just general opinions on what I had to say about this? Do you think that this will have an effective decline on trolling on the internet?

- Jainah Fajardo

The Decision of Five People That Has Affected Us All

After the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) voted to repeal Net Neutrality regulations on Thursday, December 14, reactions on many social media platforms were very strong. Many despaired about the possible end of access to a free and open internet, while others urged neutrality supporters to not give up the fight by calling their representatives in Congress and keeping an eye on the various state governments and advocacy groups that are planning to sue the FCC.  All in all it has created a lot of confusion on what kind of future the Internet and us, its users will have.  Now what does this have to do with trolling?  The repeal of Net Neutrality will not benefit anyone except for those who have the authority over the access of the Internet.  There has been an uproar on many social media platforms about the unfair decision that has come to be for the majority of the Internet users in the United States.  And some of the many who are outraged from this repeal are Internet trolls. With the eventual reality of the loss of easy Internet access to all, how are trolls going to be able to troll to the extremity of their satisfaction?  I recently read an article discussing about John Oliver, a television host, and his ¨Internet troll to arms” in which he urged trolls to spew their anger against the FCC and save Net Neutrality.  ¨Good evening, monsters.  This may be the moment you've spent your whole training for.  We need you to go out there.  For once in your lives focus your indiscriminate rage in a useful direction.  Seize your moment.¨ With the effect of Oliver's call to arms, within hours these trolls indeed answered to his call and had virtually broken the Federal Communication Commission's comment section.  

The trolls on the Internet are known for taking advantage of the First Amendment and its many freedoms to express speech online.  Now that the neutrality has been repealed their protection under that right is gone.  Many trolls believe that their rights to freely express their thoughts have been violated.  This doesn't just apply to trolls but to the many users of the Internet.  Troll or not, the fight for our rights as citizens of the United States has unified us past our differences to face something that we deem to be an important thing to fight for.   

What is your attitude towards Net Neutrality and/or its repeal?  What kind of impact will it have on trolls?  Will this be the end of our days on the Internet?

-Margareth Simbillo

Repealing Net Neutrality May Benefit the Internet

With the recent vote to repeal net neutrality, I became curious of its meaning and wondered why people were going crazy about it. As I did some brief Twitter research, I learned that the repeal would deregulate the online world, allowing the existing large network corporations to completely control and dominate the Internet and its platforms. Because there would be a monopoly of the Internet, these corporations would be able to charge users for using certain services including Google searches, Snapchat, Instagram, Netflix, YouTube, and Twitter.
I completely disagree with the three Republicans who voted for the repeal. The Internet has provided almost everyone with a plethora of information that can be accessed with a click of a button or a simple tap on a screen. Not only that, but it also serves as a medium for creativity and a platform for widespread entertainment. Furthermore, I believe net neutrality should continue for years to come because, like many of us, I've grown up immersed in the online world. It has become a central part of my life, and suddenly stripping away something that holds so much value to society is insane to me. As a young, dumb, and broke high school kid who can't afford to pay for network services, I am disappointed with the repeal.
Although it is a bad act, the repeal may result in some unexpected benefits to online platforms in regards to trolling. By charging users for using certain services, fewer trolls will be able to exist online because some trolls may be discouraged to pay for these services. Also, the revenue gained by these corporations can go towards better management of the online environment, including the prevention of cyberbullying and cyberharassment.
This is all just speculation, and I do not know everything about the situation, but I know that I love using Snapchat and my other social media apps. What do you think about the repeal of net neutrality? And how do you think it may be detrimental or beneficial to society and the online world?

-Javen Pacion

HATERS ARE OUR MOTIVATORS

The fact of the matter is, is that trolls don't seek attention, they seek silence, silence in all of their victims. Trolls want to shut down all of the diverse voices on the internet so that theirs is the only one that's heard. They choose to waste valuable minutes of their life, eating at people's self-esteem and self-worth. They have nothing better to do than spew distasteful things at those they are envious of, that is why we must not give them the fire that they want. They want us to respond to their hurtful words. They want us to react as if we are bothered by what they say. They want us to feel just as disgusted as they are with their own selves. We are the ones who ultimately get to choose whether we want to spend our time writing a paragraph scolding them or ignoring them. It's doubtful that they will change, and even if they do, there will always be other trolls preying on their next target because people are haters. Don't stoop to their level of hatred and bitterness, just be the better person and move on. Trolls don't deserve our time and energy because they are irrelevant and we have more important things to worry about. Just remember that they are the ones without a life, who coward behind a screen day to day, while the rest of us are continuing to grow into better, more mature people. They are stuck in pool of tar, and we are progressively evolving. HATERS ARE OUR MOTIVATORS.
- Jasmine Kim  

Treat others the way you want to be treated

The golden rule in life is treat others the way you want to be treated.  Do trollers think that they are an exception?  Anonymity is the trolls only real friend.  It allows a disinihibition online, anonymity can lead to relying on the web for speaking the truth to power without fear of retribution.  This all means people seem to think there is no going too far and there are no consequences.  Social media reveals to many base impulses as aggressive.  Social media is where trolls find an advantage to do their trolling due to them having a chance to be anonymous.  But anonymity is not of itself as a noble virtue, its power can also be abused.  Online anonymity invites harassment and even worse.  Without any sense of accountability we create not an alternative media in which the same group takes hold and the same people get shouted down. Trolls crave attention, and i believe that trolling is like an addiction once you get a shot at your first victim its hard to stop. 

- Desiree Reyes

LETS FRY THESE COUCH POTATOES!

Those who say they'll do it, never do. Not "do it", but you get the point. It's like that one punk kid in class who tries to defend himself when they call him out. They say they'll "hurt you" but then when the time comes there a sake of potatoes waiting to be fried. why am I talking about frying people? Well, it all sums up to one thing...TROLLING. Yes, that funny fruit turned bad. That joke turned bad is leaving us all with a horrid taste in our mouth. As we're trying to gurgle it out with the mouthwash of ignorance, were not looking as to how we can take these rotting fruits and used them towards our advantage. I know this sounds confusing, but stick with me here. I know a lot of people who are victimized by stupid comments like,"Imma rape your dead body!" And when they tell me this it reminds me of a well-known story. To make it short, there was this kid who bullied me and constantly said these things, and until I couldn't take it, I exploded by saying," THEN DO IT! DO IT RIGHT NOW!" He never did anything. I'm not saying we should explode on them but we approach them firmly and try to see where the hate comes from. When I hear women get emails and their social medias trolled I say to myself," what if we all as a team of women all pitched in our time to tell our trolls that if they are so determined to kill, harass, rape, and cut out our heads, then to do it."  I know this sounds scary, heck it is scary, but believe me. There's going to be a 90% chance that the majority of people who troll us are either too young or don't even know why there trolling them. But if we do it as a team, as an army with no limitations, we can fight this war of trolling. and empty. Having no purpose in doing whatever threat they purpose. There just trying to shut us up and that will never happen if we call them out for the sake of potatoes they are!

                                                  -Margarita Navarro

AF: I was listening to a Podcast the other day...and bingo! Trolling story.

Here is a link to a PODCAST episode about trolling that I thought was pretty good.  Ten minutes.  Give it a listen.

Don't be a Troll

Cyber bullying and cyber harassment is a very serious issue today. Trolls is usually referred to those who are cowards that hide behind their screen and purposefully harass other just for the fun of it. Their true intentions are unknown to us but I believe that they are a bunch of attention seekers that have nothing better to do with their lives. I have been a victim of cyber bullying. I was playing a harmless game of Leauge of Legends when I have been called names just because I was playing bad. What I have found to be the best solution to these trolls is to simply ignore them. Trolls usually get away with all their cyber bullying due to the fact that they hide behind their screen with an anonymous username. There is no way to change the minds of these trolls. They are heartless people that don't care if their words hurt others. If you give trolls the attention they want all they would do is laugh about it and say more hurtful things. However, ignoring them would be the best solution because they would see that it's pointless to even say anything. So don't give them the attention they want and don't be a troll.
 -Sean Pacheco

Fine line between being funny and being offensive.

Internet trolls are those pesky bugs of the internet that try to get under your skin and irritate, annoy, and ruin your mood. Most of us have seen cyberbullying, trolling, etc. in action and maybe some of us try to stop it but for the most part we are just bystanders to it. The problem is, trolling is so familar to us that we dont know when someone is just making a meme or actually harassing someone. At times its obvious to when someone is being harassed online but in todays “humor”, being mean and sarcastic is the new way of being funny. Now I believe there is a fine line between being funny and being offensive. Those who take jokes too far are those who ruin the internet with their offensive words that go too far. It takes a simple joke out of proprotions and make everyone uncomfortable. These jokes that go too far usually start an arguement and that causes more trolls to join the conversation to ignite the fire even more. These trolls that are being attracted are the worst types. They go out of topic and just start taking it personally and “roasting” the other person based on looks, false rumors, etc. Trolls like these, in my opinion, are repulsive and waste their time in trying to get more attention from people with their hurtful words. For me, I think the best way to deal with cyberbullying and internet trolls is just to ignore it. Dont even spend a second looking at their words that are just filled with hate and false information. Ignoring the situation wont make you the loser in the situation, it actually makes you the better person. In my point of view, I see it as that you’re just living your life and not caring about the false things people are saying about you when they dont even know you at all.

What do you think about this? Is ignoring the situation the best way to handle it?

- Jainah Fajardo

The Power of Words

While it is extremely disappointing to admit, hearing about situations involving cyberbullying is nothing out of the normal. Because I have not really been involved with many social media platforms, cyberbullying is not something that has concerned me personally in my daily life, but this does not mean I am unaware of what goes on online. It has often come to my attention that trolling and cyberbullying has significantly increased in recent years as the accessibility to technology has increased.

People have taken advantage of anonymity and turned it into something which have taken online problems to an uncontrollable level. These people continuously create fake accounts in order to do or say things that they do not have the courage to actually say in person to someone else. Although many of the things said online are very hurtful, it is important for the victims being affected by these comments or posts, to come to acknowledge the irrelevance of the comments made. Words are only worth whatever value you give them. It may not be possible to control what other people say or do, but a person receiving hurtful comments has the power to recognize if there is any truth in what is being said and from there decide whether to give those words any importance or not.

-Samantha Covarrubias

Trolling

I didn't know what "trolling," meant tell I talked to my partner. So when I think of trolling I think about haters and negative people who can only say rude comments through a screen and never to the persons face. I also think that they are haters that aren't happy with there selves so they'll do anything to bring everyone down to there level; they don't want anyone to succeed further than them. The reason why I think people have the audacity to say, expose, heart others through a screen is that they are scared. They are scared to say it to that persons face so they'll do it through a screen because they know they won't get physically hurt. I see trolling a lot on social media, Facebook and YouTube. Instagram for example, Instagram has a lot of trolls underneath the pages of famous people. Trolls love attention and they like to see that there hate gets attention for people (that's like there fuel). Trolling isn't a good thing so I think that if we ever see someone talking bad or hurting another person's feelings through social media, we should help. Trolling is everywhere on the internet, it'll never change if we don't start to get rid of the negative haters that don't want to see anyone succeed.
 -Alex Fritz

We're living with idiots

 In this society where the only thing that's people are concerned with is there own satisfaction. As hard as this sounds, the majority is growing towards a life where we do everything behind a screen. Giving us the ability to become internet murders and victims. Every single one of us gets hurt, when we face opinions it becomes a battle field, no matter the situation. It could be at school, work, on the streets, and now the internet. This big behemoth  is always targeting us. We can never speak what we are thinking because of this judgmental society. "But I don't judge" many can say, but believe me, someone can post a comment to later be bombarded with a million responses. This is giving everyone a free jail pass whenever they offend, harass or cyberbully. As a victim, I always hear people say its fine and that everything will be okay if you ignore them. What anyone can say about you can stay on the internet for in eternities. People can say that we can brush it off like dust on ones shoulders, but it is a weight crushing us slowly. No one ever realizes how much it hurts until it happens to them. Through years, I have become more immune to idiotic opinions that lash out  once in a while, but that's just me, we don't know people limits, what there going through and how much they can take. That is why if we haven't yet turned into idiots, we should report a rude comment when we see one, we should call the social media offices when we encounter cyber bullying and harassment. Even though your a bystander, it can eventually creep back to you. So stand up and respond, because if we don't, we will all become enslaved idiots to our screens.

Trolls and Bridges

Most people that use the internet, if not all, have come across a troll at least once.  In stories, trolls ranges from small to large and sometimes hide in dark places or under bridges, but they all usually have one thing in common : they, in some method or trick, try to trick and "eat" you.  That isn't very different from how trolls of today operate.  Internet trolls first lure you in with some kind of bait that takes the form of a comment that is either about whatever it is your reading/watching or just a completely random topic.  At this point, the choices you have are to either ignore whatever it is that they said or to confront them.  If you chose the second option, the troll will move on to try and get you involved in an argument.  They will keep you around to the best of their ability just for the sake of wasting everyone's time.  Once they have you, they will proceed to "eat" you, or anger/annoy you, and this is where they have the most fun.  Whether or not you are actually irritated matters little to them as they will say you are no matter what.  This is the point where I think that the troll has won.  However, if you chose the first option from earlier and just ignored them, then you just crossed the bridge and saved everyone a lot of time.  With that being said, not all trolls are necessarily bad.  It all depends on what one considers crossing the line or too far.  Everyone has a different limit that they think is still funny.

-Brendan Stilwell

Trolls ain't schist

Trolling is when you make an intentionally offensive post online to get a reaction from people.

 I've never personally dealt with any form of trolling nor do I know anyone who has but since people are deliberately trying to provoke you, I would just try to ignore it because, if they want a reaction from me, they're not going to get it. I'm not saying it's the easiest thing but you can't do anything else to the post besides report it and, even then, it still might not be taken down. There are going to be things online that you don't agree with and people who are so bored out of their minds as to actually take time out of their day to do this and we just have to deal with it and not let it affect our own day. If you can't deal with trolling, you should just delete your account.

-Alyssa Maneja

Don't Give In

           Trolling on the internet is really surprising to see or hear about because why would someone waste their own time to judge someone else or make fun of them. To those that we're trolled I sympathize with every single one of you. The fact that giving into the troll is not what you should do , although they may say some sensitive topics that would affect the outcomes of your choices do not let them in. My advice to the people that are being trolled is to lose communication with that troll. Don't let the words affect you don't let them change you as a person , but to understand why people are wasting their lives. Nevertheless trolls are nothing to learn from to just to move on with life.

---Michael Garavito  

Trolls Can Be Friends

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word "troll" is a picture of a monster under a bridge at night.  I would define an online troll as someone who anonymously acts in a way to get a reaction out of people.  Since many people easily get offended, trolls have no trouble continuing their acts.  If people were to simply ignore internet trolls, then they would eventually begin to disappear.  If you feed the fire, then of course it will continue to grow.

I believe it's important for people to realize that they need to stop being victims.  Often times people get so caught up in feeling sorry for themselves, that they fail to recognize the problems trolls are experiencing.  For the most part, a troll is just a person who has nothing better to do with their life.  As a result of this, they end up interrupting the lives of others.  It's rather pathetic to think that a person would use their own time to try and hurt someone.  Not only does a troll hurt others, but they hurt themselves by wasting their time trolling.  Through this thinking, I believe that people should empathize with trolls.  I have personal experience in this type of situation with someone I met in the seventh grade.  I don't want to call out any names, so we'll just call this person Peter.  Peter used to do his best to upset me during Algebra until one day I confronted him about this.  We talked about his actions, and he confessed that he was trying to make friends but didn't know how.  Ever since then, we've been great pals.  By choosing to not be a victim, I ended up turning a troll into a friend.  

-Jaime Izabal

Can't Relate, but here are some tips!

Personally, I've never been a victim of online trolling, but of course having different social media platforms I've been open to it. I've seen people who have been trolled, and it doesn't look fun. There are actually people who will start an "exposing night" and post embarassing messages and even inapropriate pictures of people for laughs. Some social media sights have taken inititive to actually block out negative and innapropriate things, buy placing a box with a question mark inside instead of a bad word. When seeing people my age being dragged on the internet i find it crazy. Some tips on keeping your name name and reputation clean are: be careful about what you post, you never know whose watching. Dont let everyone follow you, or add you no matter how many mutual friends you guys have. And DO NOT send innapropriate images of yourself or others. The Internet is not as pure as it used to be. People are weird and get a rise out of making people miserable because they have nothing going on in there own lives. Our accounts are not safe and they're always being watched. I think that we've all been trolls before, maybe without even knowing. But when you share a fight video, or and exposing video, your just as guilty as the one that posted it. I also believe that ten y/o shouldnt have instagrams and snapchats, but i guess its all apart of the generation. This generation is sad. And we need to do better.

Trolling is the worst feeling

    I know trolling is the worst feeling because I know a friend that had problems it was a fake account that would expose my friend and everybody would repost it and laugh I felt bad and i ask my friend if she was okay but it was too the point she just wanted to give up and she just crying but I told her to ignore instantly I and a couple of people  reported the page and the page got deleted but then 2 weeks later  somebody made another fake page and post my friend  again just threaten to say they were going to jump her and whoever the person was. My friend had dropped her address to fight, but to me I think the person who made that page was hating on my friend and I felt like my friend should have avoided the situation because they were going to stop but the fact trolling is not cool it leads on to depression if anybody had this same situation the best thing is to do is to ignore it and go on about your day and talk to somebody about it somebody that you trust and can keep a secret. I just feel bad for the ones that actually go through it. I felt like I could have defended for my friend who was posting her but at the same I would be in that mess so the best thing was for me was reported and be there for my friend and that's what I did because I knew I was the only one she can talk to so if anybody had a problem go talk to someone to get advice or help or let your feelings out  and not respond that's the best way . - Christine Walton

Should I have gotten involved in this trolling?

I know a friend that took trolling too far. I'm naming that person X. X envied someone so badly, who I will label as Y,  that he created multiple fake accounts to get to Y. On the first fake account he made, he sent hate messages and comments to the person Y. The person receiving the messages simply blocked X and went on with his life normally. On the second account X made, he pretended to be a girl, and gained Y's friendship and trust. He asked Y to meet him at a location, and when Y came, X and his friends were there to embarrass Y and make fun of him.
To me that situation seemed really insensitive and made me look down on my friend X. He went too far and didn't have boundaries. It revealed how insecure and troubled friend X is with himself, that trolling and dragging another person distracted him from his insecurities and makes him feel better. What disgusted me the most was how till this day friend X still talks about the situation with pride and he thinks it's funny. It was none of my business so I thought I shouldn't get involved, but now looking back do you think I should have?
  -Narmeen Ayoubi

YouTube Trolling

There are many ways people can troll online using social media, which is where many people think that most of the online trolling occurs. For example, tweeting to someone negative things, however I think one of the most popular places where online trolling occurs is on Youtube. I have watched many Youtube videos by multiple beauty gurus and usually before every video they do a disclaimer that basically says to not watch the video if you will have negative views towards it. The reason they do this is to avoid negative reviews or comments, however there are still people that do it. On most YouTube videos there are negative comments and people always respond to it defending the beauty guru. Then the negative commenter replies back creating a dispute. Many YouTubers have done videos addressing trolling online, and some have taken a break from making YouTube videos, which is unfortunate because it is something they love to do. For most of these YouTubers the negative comments continue to their social media accounts, so the trolling doesn't end. In my opinion, the comment section on Youtube should be better regulated, because I do think that it has more benefits than negatives. For instance, people leave comments on what they like to watch or what products they recommend. However, many people take advantage of being able to comment and talk negatively. So I am in between. Overall, many people don't realize that most YouTubers make videos as their job. YouTubers try so hard to make watchable content that we would enjoy, and they should not be trolled.
- Brianna Rubio

cyberbullying and self-image

Cyberbullying is an issue that has been on the rise for quite some time now. In fact, it seems to be getting worse. There are so many stories from victims of cyberbullying and all of them are very similar but all have different ways in which they were affected. Some cases of cyberbullying have driven people into suicide and different ways of self-harm or simply put them in a state of depression and isolation. So how can we prevent this? How can one overcome the acts of cyberbullying? I think the answer would be through acceptance and ignorance. If one were to be exposed on any form of social media there is no denying the truth. A victim cannot deny anything when there is visible proof. I am not blaming the victim but simply stating the truth. Eventually all things that are being done discreetly will be brought to light. A victim of cyberbullying needs to accept their actions and leave the past in the past. If they made a mistake it is a lesson learned. There is no need to cry or get unnecessarily emotional over something that has already happened. The past needs to stay in the past. Our minds listen to whatever WE feed them. Why feed it someone else’s opinions and hate? We need to be ignorant. Ignorant to others’ thoughts and negative opinions of us, hate, toxic people, cyberbullies, etc. Feed your mind positive thoughts and feelings. Accept your flaws and mistakes. Understand we are human and we are not perfect. Be ignorant for all the right reasons.
- Astrid Tadeo

Bystanders To Trolling

Trolling has been a big phenomena on the internet.  It can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone.  Many of the biggest social media platforms have tried to regulate trolling online but there is really no way to completely eradicate the endless cycle of trolls spreading hate and animosity online. I, personally have not been a victim of trolling online, but I have personally witnessed them numerous times everywhere on social media.  Whenever someone is a target of one of these trolls I have tried to step in to defend them in some way, but most of the time I fear to be the next victim of these trolls.  As I use myself as an example, this is the majority of what happens online.  We often have the dilemma  to step up and do something about the bullying that is happening right in front of our screens and the fear of being the next victim. Many of us also have the common mindset that there is always someone out there to do the dirty work for us to stop it.  But if all of us have this kind of mindset, who else is going to try to stop this online problem? It is up to many of the bystanders, the sole witnesses, of the many who are victimized by anonymous cyberbullying.  With the power that the internet brings to join people together, this is one of the various ways to face these cowardice trolls.  As people of the online community, we need to realize that cyberbullying is a serious problem, and that not taking any action against it will only give these trolls the opportunity to confidently torment current and future victims. If we want to stop trolling, it needs to begin from us who watch thousands be victimized by it.  If there is evil lurking in the shadows, there will always be good shining in the light.  Together we can defeat the anonymity that these trolls hide behind the screen of their computers.  We must slowly step up to be bystanders upstanders in order to make a change in this upscale social problem online.  

Trolling has become a huge part of the online community, what are some of your ideas/thoughts/opinions on how to handle this endless strain online?  Have you ever been a bystander to someone being bullied online?  

-Margareth Simbillo

Differentiating the Nice Trolls from the Bad Trolls

I am very familiar with trolling because it occurs all the time because I grew up immersed into the online world. Although our class has been discussing trolling that threatens/labels other Internet users, the term has always been related to gaming and comments sections of YouTube and social media platforms. I've recognized trolling as an activity with the sole purpose to have fun, smile, and laugh by annoying another user. In video games, trolling is very common for the casual player because the goal of their playing experience isn't to achieve victory or success. Instead, these players do anything to make the game fun for them, including annoying seriously competitive gamers. The greatest emotional disturbance resulting from this type of trolling is annoyance; therefore, gaming-related trolling is usually harmless. Another site where I've witnessed trolling is on the YouTube comments section. The largest audience on YouTube are minors, and the commenters are often attention-seeking kids. These kids troll other users in order to annoy other users, using methods such as empty name-calling and schoolyard insults. Obviously, this type of trolling is also not a danger to Internet users.
The trolling that I am familiar with is not dangerous; however, there are ways to report the hurtful trolling. Vicious labels and threats can be prevented with reporting which notify the platform's workers who can remove/ban users. I have been trolled and have been a troll; however, I was a good troll. It was all for fun, nobody was hurt, and it generated smiles and laughs.
-Javen Pacion

Why give them the satisfaction?

It's difficult for me to write this and explain my outlook on online trolling because I have never been a victim of it. I have never been in the shoes of an abused individual from cyberbullying or cyber harassment, but I feel that if I was in that kind of position, I would choose to ignore all of the trivial, irrelevant remarks geared towards me. I wouldn't allow a person who cowards away behind a screen to faze me because the truth is, is that THEY are the ones who are truly insecure about themselves. Bullies in general feel the need to pick on others because they are jealous and bitter about their own lives. Why give trolls and all other bullies the satisfaction of triumph? When we choose to throw a snide remark back, it shows them that we actually care about what they say, and why would we? Why would we care that someone we don't even know or even care about is trying to bring us down? Their words mean nothing because they mean nothing to us. We are better, better than those who want to stir up drama and torment others online. We have more meaningful things to worry about and shouldn't choose to waste our energy on miserable, pathetic people. They only want to make us feel bad about ourselves to fill the void of bitterness in their own hearts. Truthfully, it's sad to say the reality is that online anonymity and trolling may never be stopped. There will always be someone that doesn't like you, always, so we must learn to neglect words that in the end, mean nothing because they come from those who are nothing. 

- Jasmine Kim 

Internet trolling needs to be put to a stop!

I personally have never been bullied on any type of social media but I have witnessed it on various cites and in my life. I do know someone though who has been bullied for half her life both in person but mostly online, it was not easy for her.  She almost committed suicide from all the bullying, if my friends and I wouldn't have walked into her house she wouldn't be alive today.  That was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed because I almost lost a friend from cyberbullying.
 Cyber harassment and cyberbullying needs to stop its not healthy for anyone.  I feel as if internet trolls don't have a life but just go on the internet and see who they could harass next, and most of the time the trolls are anonymous and don't really have the balls to say it to anyones face.  Internet trolls are miserable human beings who think that its okay to make someone feel bad about themselves.  Internet trollers should have their accounts should be suspended, its not right for someone to have the power to ruin someones like or even end their life because they're miserable. No one deserves to be bullied online nor in person.
If the internet took charge and removed the online trollers the internet would be a happy place, people would be able to go online and not have to worry about what they post and if its going to get negative comments.  Internet trollers need to be removed for good making someones life miserable isn't funny.
-Desiree Reyes

Troll Penguin

I knew someone who created a Club Penguin account to troll the other users on it.  They didn’t do anything on the account except for start protests and say… things to the other penguins.  For example, they would take their penguin into a popular area and start a Club Penguin women’s march and get all the other penguins to shout out their protests.  It was pretty inspiring, actually.  But then they would go up to other penguins and say other things and get reported by them.  After 20 minutes of creating their penguin, it died and got kicked off the website.  I know this is a pretty lame trolling story and not as extreme as most, but it was the only one I could think of.  I haven’t ever really been trolled the way we’ve been talking about in class.  I think trolling like the example I shared is harmless and can be kind of funny depending on your humor.  

Of course the more extreme forms of trolling aren’t so funny to anyone, unless you’re heartless, of course.  If all social media took the action of deleting trollers accounts like Club Penguin, the internet would be a much safer place.

- Halla Bachle

Trolling at CSULB

While in the middle of this unit on trolling my friend told me about a huge trolling incident at his college. In the Cal State Long Beach dorms a student was able to hack into the wifi and view all activity of the other people living there. He was able to intercept messages and manipulate them, and enjoyed the smug satisfaction of eavesdropping on conversations. Many students are still unaware that this is happening, but the few that know are trying to find solutions to ensure their safety and privacy. It was easy to see from the way students have began reacting that knowing your activity could have been watched by a cyber stalker is a weird feeling. My friend explained that it made him feel violated, and I’m sure others would agree. Personally, I think it is sad that campuses are not able to pick up on these incidents quicker, and it is frightening how easy it is for even an average college student to recklessly manipulate hundreds of people. I for one am always connecting to different wifi sources without much thought about the security of them, but hearing of what happened at CSULB, I might start thinking twice about the safety of free wifi.  I am curious how common it is for things like this to happen, and whether or there are any things you can do to stop them from happening. I know that even with students aware of what is going on, it is hard to find a quick solution, and nearly impossible to even know if you are one of the ones being watched.
-Brooke Sasse

Stop Wasting Time Caring About People's BS

My advice to people who face "online trolling" or any kind of persecution for that matter,  would not be to ignore it but to accept it. Accept the fact that people are scary and hide behind a screen; and accept the fact that not everyone will accept you.

And that's OK because you don't need everyone's acceptance because who are they? Are they helping you accomplish what you set out to accomplish? Do their opinions of you shape the reality that you see in front of you?

If not, then accept yourself and screw everyone else's opinions, focus on you and your goals; don't waste your time or energy on anyone or anything that isn't making your wallet fatter or making you smarter.
 Accept your self first and worry about others later. There aren't enough hours in the day to deal with others BS on top of the BS in your own life.

In an age of information ignorance is a choice; you have almost unlimited knowledge at your finger tips; yet you decide to be a moron and worry about what people are saying in a chat room wasting precious time you could be using to learn or do something useful. Why? because you hope to gain their approval? You hope they will think you are cool? Or because you want to impress some mindless moron who isn't doing anything to better them self as an individual or change their net worth? If these are your reasons for wasting time on people that are bringing you down then you are childish and stupid.

Do what you set out to be, If your trying to make that money then go make your money; If your trying to change the world then change the god damn world.

And another thing don't say... Do.

If there's one thing you take from this it should be this:

You are a ship on a course to a destination -wherever that may be for you- Don't stop for anyone or anything until you reach it. Worrying about what people are saying on the internet isn't go to help you move forward; so don't.  
-Thomas Gist

Avoid the problems

The cyberbully and online harassment or taking a toll on a lot of victims . Their is ways to stop it but their ways how to move past it people get bully/harass for a lot of reason.But sometimes you just have to eventually move on with your life people start creating more drama and it becomes a bigger problem like the women who mess around with the president. It goes to show how little problems on the internet become bigger crisis. All i'm trying to say it if we avoid problems like these we can maybe stop the harassing before it start.
  -Roman Barraza

A Pacion For Trolling

For me, trolling has always been light-hearted and comedic way of expressing myself through dumb jokes and dank memes among friends. My buddy, Javen Pacion annoys the crap out of me every day when I come to school by blasting stupid songs in my ear every period like "Gucci Gang" or "GUMMO." The grief it causes me brings happiness to him although I know it is all just a big joke between us. However, the internet creates a barrier between people and a way to hide from the consequences of a person's words and actions. It gives rise to a platform where anyone and everyone can anonymously attack people that they don't know a single thing about with little to no repercussions.

The concerning issue regarding online trolling is how there's no reliable way to regulate it, and as the number of internet users continue to increase, the issue will only grow larger. Interacting with other users from around the world has been one of the biggest pros and cons of the internet. On one hand, it allows people to connect from all corners of the world and to educate, learn, and share culture. On the other hand, it provides a platform for people to act maliciously under the cloak of anonymity. Being able to connect a voice or text to a face is enough for people to act in a civil and polite manner. Although many people often forget about the person on the other side of the screen and speak insensitively and offensively. I'm not really sure what we can do about online trolling besides hoping people don't forget about their humanity once they get on the internet. What are your thoughts?

- Peter Nguyen

Online Trolling and Staying Positive

In regards to online trolling, this phenomena has affected those who we would call "online victims" through causes of depression, or even suicide.  Personally, I think online trolling is nothing but pure negativity and not worthy of existence.  For people who are victimized by this verbal abuse, I believe that it is really up to the person to control the situation they're in.  Now that social media, has given the tools of blocking and reporting online bullies, the person that's being attacked should utilize them so that their negativity can be stopped.  Even if you want to take another route of confronting the internet trolls, the choice is up to you.  Therefore, this form of bullying can be halted.  Now of course, there are trolls that can make their own posts and spread false rumors of you, and since that does fall under the right of freedom of speech, there is really no way to dispute that.  However, the most one can really do is, simply, ignore it and move on.  I know this isn't as easy as actually doing it, but words shouldn't be the downfall of your happiness.  These trolls don't really know who you are, and by showing anger and sadness, you're really just giving them more power to their overall purpose.  So don't overthink those comments, or insults that may get under your skin.  Just try to stay positive and spread it through the online world.  I feel if more people did that, than the influence of online trolling will have a remarkable decline.  -LaVanton Gilmore

Finding the Troll. Should we??? 🔥 🤔🤔🤔 🔥

Many people in the world today have access to the world wide web to communicate with others all around the world, but so people use that power to bully/harass others online for the fun of it. If there was a system created to find those so-called anonymous people and have them punished for their "trolling", should it be enabled on the internet or not. What's the limit on what consider trolling?

Troll Face

AF: Room for Debate -- the War Against Online Trolls

Here's the link to the articles, but you can find them easily by just typing "the War Against Online Trolls" into the Google Search box.

Yo! It's the vocab for this unit!

AF: Hey kids! Read my blog post

Hi Kids:

I was just bipping around on the internet, looking at books I might buy for the class library, when I came across the following snippet on a publisher's website:

Elsewhere in the free speech files, women are reporting that Facebook has been censoring their responses to the blizzard of sexual misconduct allegations, deleting comments that contain sentiments such as “Men are scum.” Under the social media giant’s standards governing “hate speech,” white men are considered a protected group, which can inordinately penalize users who speak out about important  issues related to inequality. One woman who was suspended for writing “men continue to be the worst” points out the double-standard in Facebook’s implementation of the policy: “There was one guy who was threatening to find my house and beat me up… I got banned before I could even successfully report it.”

The double-standard is real.

What ARE Facebook and Twitter's standards governing "hate speech"?  Wouldn't you like to know?