"This form of aggressive hate posts is called 'trolling'. It works especially well when the instigators are anonymous. They assume it frees them of any kind of responsibility to being accountable for their words. Common trolling habits are as follows:
1. Name calling
2. Defamation of character/slander
3. Threats ranging from subversive to suggestive to metaphoric to obvious
4. Singling out an individual and ganging up on them to make them feel insecure or insignificant in hopes that they feel as bad as the trolls do about themselves.
"The latest precedent of trolls actually harming a person through ridicule is Phoebe Prince of Massachusetts, who in January of 2010 commit suicide as a result of "cyber bullying" by her high school classmates. The following "trolls" were prosecuted as such:
Kayla Narey, 17, civil rights violations, criminal harassment, disturbance of a school assembly.
Ashley Longe, 16, civil rights violations.
Flannery Mullins, 16, civil rights violations, stalking.
Sharon Chanon Velazquez, 16, civil rights violations, stalking.
Three other juvenile girls, all unnamed, have been charged with civil rights violations, criminal harassment, and assault. http://www.truecrimereport.com/2010/03/phoebe_prince_suicide_nine_tee.php
"This chapter was originally a thread from Stephen Colbert's forums (http://forums.colbertnation.com/?page=ThreadView&thread_id=24782) and the title of the thread was, "To anyone posting good ideas in this forum." As you read it, notice how the trolls here sound very similar to the catty high school girls who were prosecuted. This thread was begun by the author, thereby becoming his "space". The anonymous participants have proceeded into his space and commenced a torrent of negativity. Interesting? Not really, but then again, that sums up how angry and jaded many people are on the internet
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