User:Just granpa/Definition of Internet troll

In Internet terminology a troll is someone who comes into an established community such as an online discussion forum and posts inflammatory, rude, repetitive or offensive messages as well as top post flooding and impersonating others -- designed intentionally to annoy or antagonize the existing members or disrupt the flow of discussion. A troll's main goal is usually to arouse anger and frustration or otherwise offend the message board's other participants, and will write whatever it takes to achieve this end.

One popular trolling strategy is the practice of Winning by Losing. While the victim is trying to put forward solid and convincing facts to prove his position, the troll's only goal is to infuriate its prey. The troll takes (what it knows to be) a badly flawed, wholly illogical argument, and then vigorously defends it while mocking and insulting its prey. The troll looks like a complete fool, but this is all part of the plan. The victim becomes noticeably angry by trying to repeatedly explain the flaws of the troll's argument. Provoking this anger was the troll's one and only goal from the very beginning."

One particularly effective way of provoking anger, and an often used trolling strategy, is the strategy of turning the tables. The troll tries to guess what the other participants are thinking about the troll (for example, "you are a hypocrite") then the troll will accuse the other participants of that.

If all else fails trolls will resort to shooting completely at random until they just happen to hit something.

Trolls want to turn every conversation into a trial with themselves as self-appointed judge jury and executioner.

Experienced participants in online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is usually to ignore him or her, because responding encourages a true troll to continue disruptive posts — hence the often-seen warning "Please do not feed the troll".

Human beings do things for rational reasons. Animals, on the other hand, do things precisely because those things are unreasonable. Trolls are not rational human beings acting like animals. Trolls are animals pretending to be rational human beings.

Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; You cannot cause them to feel shame or compassion; You cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility. When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a troll, he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing that trolls can't handle is being ignored. In short, the proper response is not hate but indifference

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, do not feed the trolls.

Useful advice for dealing with someone considered to be a troll is, rather than using that term, to ask them questions such as: "What is your intent?" or other questions relevant to the discussion rather than using the ad hominem label "troll."

Pornography is a form of trolling. Unlike erotica, it has nothing to do with sex.