5 Ways To Spot... Trolls On Social Media

Gone are the days of a troll being a creature living under a bridge threatening unsuspecting goats who dared to trip-trap above him.

Nowadays, the term ‘troll’ is used to describe someone online who deliberately posts something offensive or provocative. It can be frustrating to find yourself embroiled in an argument with a troll, sometimes without even realising it.

Here are five ways to spot a troll:

Persistence

One of a troll’s key objectives is to get a rise out of someone and so they will continue to push a subject, arguing the same points over and over again. You will often find that, even after you have chosen to start ignoring them, they will tag you in yet another comment in an attempt

to inflame the situation further. If you look through a person’s previous comments, a troll is likely to have repeated the same comment in response to many people. That is another key indicator of their ‘trollishness’.

Fake Profiles

As a result of being banned on a regular basis, trolls often reinvent themselves using yet another fake profile. Although they usually do believe the opinions they are spouting, they will hide behind a mask in a bid to get their point across but with very little possible personal attacks in response. In other words, if you click to see a potential troll’s profile, it will usually reveal that it was created fairly recently.

The profile and cover pictures will often be fairly generic and any posts they have shared publicly will be ones they want you to see, usually linked to the issue they are trying to make you get uptight about. Doing a reverse image

search with a profile or cover photo can often reveal that they have used a stock image.

Language

Trolls are not known for being the best when it comes to correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. In fact, their replies and posts are usually littered with errors.

One of the most common subjects when it comes to trolls seems to be the socalled invasion of foreigners into their country. The irony being that they bemoan those who do not know English well enough yet their own written language leaves an awful lot left to be desired.

Quotes

A troll’s comments are often quotes from famous people or just a regurgitation of an original quote anyway. Often, words will have been entirely misconstrued to fit with their way of thinking. The references usually come courtesy of former strong characters such as Winston Churchill or Margaret Thatcher.

Lack of Answers

If you veer off track with a troll and request further information or an answer to a question you have posed, you may find you have hit a brick wall. Of course, they won’t just go silent. They will continue to drag up their previous arguments rather than shedding any light on matters you have requested answers to.

So, there you have it: five ways to spot internet trolls. Of course, no two trolls are exactly the same (unless they have just reinvented themselves with a new name and profile picture), but they do tend to act in very similar ways. Remember: don’t feed the trolls.