The Internet is wide and free. Everybody has opinions and thoughts and nowadays it is just very easy to let everyone know what you are thinking. Unfortunately, not everybody out there will share nice thoughts. You may have come across this special breed that we call “trolls”. And that is why in this post I will talk about how to deal with trolls.
A troll is a person that will start a quarrel or try to upset people on the Internet just for fun. He will try to post mean comments with the intent of provoking or start a discussion, usually just for his own amusement. They use their anonimity in order to get away with it.
You will find individuals that will criticize or make fun of your size, gender, ability, body shape, accuracy, colour of your eyes, shape or whatever silly reason they may find to criticize something about you or your work. One in a million users will try to give you a positive feedback, but most of the time you will get unwanted and hurtful criticism just because.
You have worked so hard. You may not be perfect but you definetely tried your best. That is why you do not deserve getting your work and self-esteem spoiled by a troll. But unfortunately, when you are on the internet, it does happen. I don’t want you to be upset and that is why I am going to show you how to deal with trolls.
What to do
As I said, the internet is free and we have freedom of thought. You can’t ban someone for thinking something about you. They may even be able to talk about you with their friends because they are bored and they have nothing better to do. But the moment they go to your profile to criticise you or you work is when you don’t need to take it anymore and you can defend yourself. Here you have some options.
Ignore them
Don’t feed the troll. This is the easiest move, just blank them, ignore them. It is your page, your blog, or your profile. You don’t need to listen to them. You never asked for an opinion. They are being rude and they are in the wrong place. You don’t have to deal with them. They will probably get bored and won’t comment again.
Agree with them
Maybe they are right. You may not like what they have to say or how they say it but you can use it as a critique and take it. They really won’t expect it and won’t know how to reply. Probably they won’t try again.
Laugh at it
I myself can’t help it, trolls make me laugh. Use a funny comment against them and just laugh at their stupidity. They won’t know what to answer and you and your followers will laugh so much!
Ban them
Are they really getting on your nerves? Do they persist? They are always writing mean comments? Most social media will have a ban button, even your Facebook Page! Ban them and you won’t need to see their avatar ever again. Problem solved.
Report them
Unfortunately, some people will go too far. If someone turns homophobic, racists or keeps insulting you don’t be afraid to report them. Those are major things. Let someone else deal with it. Do not engage with them and keep all the evidence you can. Hopefully they will be banned forever and will leave you alone.
What not to do
I know it is difficult not to fight back, but most of the time it is not worth it. The best way to get rid of a bully is to bore them. Do not argue, insult or strike back. That is exactly what they want. Do not give it to them.
Erase their comments
I know you will be tempted to erase their comments, but probably they will keep trying over and over again. If you erase their comments it looks like you can’t take criticism. I sometimes find that if you handle it well they will erase or change the comments themselves!
Start an argument
You may be tempted to argue back. As much as you can be right they are not going to change their mind. They will find something else against you and you will only get upset trying to convince them otherwise. The are bored and want you to engage. Don’t waste your time. It is not worth it.
Get to the insults
Don’t play their game, do not fall as low as them. Trolls want a reaction and you are giving it to them insulting back. Be the better person and be nice. They want the insults and a reason to call you names back. I can promise you they will be more hurt if you blank them or if you are nice to them.
Lynch them publicly
Again, this is not the far far west. They may have done something wrong, but pointing at them with a finger and asking all your friends to insult, shame or abuse them is not the solution. As stupid as they can be, they are human and it can be too much. They did not consider your feelings but you know how much it hurts, and can be nice enough to consider theirs.
You should now have an idea of how to deal with trolls. It is not easy to deal with them, but you have quite a few chances to succeed in getting rid of them. Remember, take a deep breath, be calm and stay cool. How you handle it will say a lot about you and may get you a few extra admirers.
