Anyone
who has spent time on the internet knows of the darker parts of it, especially
when it comes to Trolling. An internet troll is someone on the internet that
uses anonymity to upset or start argument with fellow users of the internet. No
matter what website trolls visit it’s always the same goal which is causing
someone distress for humor purposes. In most people’s eyes this act should be
punished but in America every citizen has the right of freedom of speech. So should people who troll on the internet regularly
be punished for what they post? Trolling is basically online harassment and usually
trolls face no punishment unless the webpage is monitored by people who have
the power to ban them. These people also known as Mods (Moderators) have the
ability to ban people from certain forums or webpages which helps with dealing
with trolls. However this doesn’t stop a person from making a new account to continue
their escapades online. With computer mediated communication being ingrained in
our society I feel like action should be taken. I feel like having a right like
freedom of speech shouldn’t be abused to hurt a fellow person in society. Trolling may not be a big deal to certain
people, but it still causes distress to those who have low self-esteem.
Furthermore introverted people surf the internet a lot more than their
extroverted counterparts. These introverted people feel more comfortable
communicating online because the lack of judgement on physical appearance. With
trolls on the loose none of these people are safe from the frustration of
dealing with the arguments and harassment. While people may say it’s easy to
ignore trolls, sometimes it’s not as easy as you think. I spend a decent amount
of time online so I have had my encounters with trolls, especially if you’re
into computer games like I am. From my experience being stuck with a troll in a
30 minute Dota 2 game is more frustrating than actually losing the game. The
banter going back and forth causes so much frustration. During those times it’s
better to let the guy go off and not let his so called “edgy” insults get to
you. However sometimes you get tired of it and must fight back, which makes you
turn into a troll just to troll them back for their trolling. Trolls are a
plague on the internet that should have some punishment for their toxic
personality. On the brighter side my outside source, “Trolling with: the
homies?” by Georgia Garvey is about a troll who got punished for his acts. The
troll under the username “Violent-acrez” posted, “racist, pornographic, and
misogynistic comments and pictures to the website reddit.” (Garvey) A writer
for the new site Gawker was the one to unmask the troll as Michael Brutsch. This lead to the troll’s employers finding out
and firing for what he was posting online. While some may say this is a breach
of his right of freedom of speech, he should still face consequences for his
post online. If a person is going to go out of their way to post something
terrible like that should get punished. The internet is for everyone and should
not be a playground for bullies.
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