I have personally discovered the one major negative about internet anonymity for myself: trolls. Obviously I'm not talking about the ugly, dwell under a bridge type (although sometimes the content of some forum posts seem to be spouted by said creature), I'm talking about the people who hide behind a username simply to act like an ass to other people online.
I know, I know. It's not exactly a new phenomenon. However, seeing as I have recently been a victim of a troll (not to mention witnessed plenty of of them in action), it has made me question the society we find ourselves living in. Yet again.
I know that Blizzard are taking away anonymity on their forums, but still... the damage is done. People somehow feel entitled to belittle others and try to make them upset just to make themselves feel cool, or dare I say it, more significant than they are in real life. They seem to like to control the mood of others online.
Sometimes I wish I could understand the mindset of these people. It turns out that I can't though, I bring all the values I would exhibit in real life to my online communications. I won't set out to make someone feel bad, I actually want to have decent discussions. I was raised to treat people with respect, so that's what I will do, regardless of the setting.
Have we really stooped so low that simple manners don't even matter anymore?
I know I shouldn't be feeding the trolls, but honestly I feel like it's gone far enough. Nothing I say or do will change the fact that they're out there, but I feel the need to do something.
So trolls beware: I have a torch and pitchfork.
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