Should You Confront Internet Trolls?

Many experts believe that troll-like behavior comes from a place of unhappiness, poorly expressed deep anger, and loneliness.

Take two minutes to read, explore, and reflect. By Wendy Rose Gould & Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Top of Mind Should You Confront Internet Trolls?    In today's internet age you'd be hard pressed to not run into an "online troll" every once in a while. Defined as a person who makes inflammatory, insincere, and digressive comments and posts, it makes sense that our first instinct might be to confront them head-on. But is engaging with an internet troll ever worth our while?   Many experts believe that troll-like behavior comes from a place of unhappiness, poorly expressed deep anger, and loneliness. They often say hurtful and crude things specifically to create a reaction, and the tactic is often successful in that it ignites heated and hurtful arguments.   Ultimately, a knee-jerk reaction isn't ideal—it only allows the bully to "win." In many scenarios, the best response is none at all. Silence essentially shows that you don't value the comments enough to waste time replying.   If you do feel a need to reply, perhaps to protect your reputation or stand up for a friend being bullied, aim for politeness and positivity to dampen the fire and then walk away.     Trolls are people who don't love themselves, don't think anyone else loves them, and they are being hurtful just to feel some level of control over their life." — NANCY WILLARD, MS, JD  What This Means For You Online trolls can be very skilled in getting others to respond hastily—especially if they've been practicing. When you come across a troll, try to remember that this person is probably deeply unhappy and lonely, and that engaging with them only perpetuates their behaviors and unhappiness. Responding is almost never helpful, so do your best to walk away.   On the Bright Side Ways to Stay Positive This Week What's Inspiring Us Brene Brown's "Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience" explores 87 emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. A New York Times bestseller, the book equips us with important skills to create more meaningful connections with others. Products to Help You Feel Your Best If you're in the market for an introspective podcast, add The Ezra Klein Show to your lineup. The twice-weekly podcast invites you to deep conversations about a diverse range of fascinating topics with notable experts. It's far too easy to spend a bit too much time looking at our screens. The Screen Time app tracks your usage so you have a better idea of how often you're on your phone and can set goals to reduce your usage and break the addiction. If you're looking for an offline way to clear your mind and have fun at home, try one of these paint by numbers kits. Read These Next 5 Types of Internet Abuse Used in Cyberbullying READ NOW How to Prevent Cyberstalking READ NOW How to Know If You Have an Internet Addiction and What to Do About It READ NOW Spread the Light Share the newsletter with someone you know to make their day a little brighter. SHARE We're open to suggestions! If you have any feedback about this newsletter, let us know at feedback@verywell.com.     You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Healthy Mind newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. If someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe here!   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2021 Verywellmind.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy