Case Study.docx

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How Technological Advances and the Development of Wider Media Platforms Has Led to the Widespread Interest of Trolling and the Impacts Caused.

Trolling is something that everyone has witnessed at some point since its first appearance on the internet in late 1980s. Whether it be through social media, newspapers, gaming console live chats or in person, the definition is well known throughout different countries. Trolls typically use subtle and/or blatant motives of trolling which is usually motivated to gain a reaction; typically showing antagonistic, vicious and malicious behaviour towards someone either with or without intent. The official definition states “A troll is someone who posts unkind or offensive messages on social media sites, and often tries to start arguments with other users.” (Collins Dictionary) I will be uncovering studies regarding trolling which will allow me to conduct research on why it is such a wellknown factor within society and shows no signs of stopping.

This essay will be based upon the interpretative and analytical discussions regarding trolls, how they operate in terms of through the internet and real life situations, the reasoning behind their actions, and the impacts it causes on not only the receiver and victim of this but also the people around them; being backed up through academic research findings. I will be exploring the advances in technology and how this has played a role within the development of trolling, and how we as users are the main source of trolling influencers, celebrities and victims of crime through these platforms. As a way of ensuring I cover as

16015058 MP5007 many bases regarding this topic as possible, I will go into discussing the psychological reasoning behind this action as well as speaking about the confusion it can cause.

There are various types of trolls and different definitions held against the act of trolling as it is a widespread issue, leaving a lot of discussions up for debate by academic theorists on the ideology and reasoning behind why and how this action takes place. Computer-Mediated Communication is the “communication that occurs between humans via some form of computer, such as a desktop, mobile phone or similar” (December 1997: 5; Ferris 1997; Herring 2003: 612) suggesting that this is the main platform where trolling takes place, people can access anything they desire on their electronic devises which already sets people up for failure, you have a sense of anonymity where no one knows what you are doing other than yourself as started by Aiken & Waller, “anonymity renders an environment that encourages all the irresponsible acts by people to display offensive behaviours” (Aiken & Weller, 2000) therefore leaving you to anonymously stir up discontent.

Another being innocuous trolling which is a simpler toned down version as it is not initially meant to sow discord by causing arguments with inflammatory messages, it is more for humour purposes; the ‘troller’ will hold an emotional dissociation as the only impact that they receive is in the form of enjoyment as they do not feel like what they are saying should be taken seriously. Watts argues that, “(im)politeness is a term that is struggled over at present, has been struggled over in the past and will, in all probability, continue to be struggled over in the future” (Watts 2003: citied in Bousfield: 2007) which suggests that even if someone is not intentionally being malicious towards another individual it may in be interpreted the incorrect away. However, impoliteness in the form of mocking is, “an offensive way of being friendly” (Leech 1983: 144 cited in Jobert & Sorlin) Leech suggests

16015058 MP5007 that this may be the case while there is ‘banter’ flowing, suggesting that you need to be able to determine irony from banter as this then turns to “a friendly way of being offensive.” Leech: 1983: 144)

Lastly being flaming trolling which is also known as shock trolling, the highest form of trolling. This is carried out for extremity purposes typically surrounds issues which relate to shocking or disturbing content, such as crime attacks which have taken place mocking victims as well as linking in with posthumous trolling; where people’s loved ones have passed away and their memorial page is bombarded with messages with negative comments towards to deceased.

There is great confusion when it comes to the definition of both a troll and a hater/bully, there is an underlying difference between the two which is used interchangeably, whilst trolls don’t offer any more of a welcoming embrace than haters do they hold a different agenda. They don’t leave comments or make their presence known by simply leaving one message then departing, they are attention seekers and hold a goal of provoking agitation so they therefore stay and wait for a quarrel to begin between themselves and their chosen target. Hater’s typically post a comment with their opinions, usually negative then they leave without wanting a response; just wanted their voice to be heard but do not care for hearing others’.

There has been a raise in trolling as everything is more easily accessible in today’s society due to the internet and the advances within technology. Technology has held both negative and positive impact on the 21st century, we can use it for leisure, business, to watch

16015058 MP5007 content, connect with people from all around the world, read books, download music, showcase our lives through social media etc. However, all of this does not come without problematic issues which all comes down to us. The users. Technological developments have soared with multiple new devices being created every year, going from computers with hard drives in 1956 to the release of laptops in 1981, to now inevitably the most sought after technological device, the smartphone.

Sales of iPhones from 1.39m (2007) to a peak of 231.22m (2015) which suggests that more and more people want to be involved amongst the action of social media platforms. With sites, such as Twitter (2006) Facebook (2004) Instagram (2010) and YouTube (2005) all becoming downloadable onto smartphones, allows for a simple viewing pleasure wherever you are instead of having to wait until you could use a laptop or computer with access to Wi-Fi. There was a growth of 90 million monthly users during 2013 to 800 million in 2017[2] on Instagram, backing up my ideology that the technological advances have an impact on how social media can be accessed.

Facebook is something which a large quantity of the world’s population has been using for a prolong period of time, which makes it more appealing for companies and broadcasters who want to advertise programmes or products they would like you to insert your interest into. As social media is used by an estimated 2.46bn people, H. Li states that “Social media appears to have become one of the latest environments in which advertising takes place” (H. Li 2011). Broadcasters such as BBC3, since changing to an online only viewing station, have begun to target Facebook audiences as a way of promoting their latest shows and documentaries as suggested by Wang as Rodgers it is an “electronic word-of-mouth a form

16015058 MP5007 of advertising that has become popular with the advent of social media.” After conducting some research, I discovered a short clip of a woman who was proclaiming her newfound love for her large nose, having watched the clip she was promoting self-love however, people in the comments had different views. As trolls seek for vulnerable people or those who have features which stand out in this case, they can target them in different ways such as knocking their confidence by discussing western beauty standards about how a girl should look. However, sometimes with social media platforms and their ability to leave your thoughts and opinions, there could be an element of miscommunication. A comment was left which stated “This video has inspired me... Purely for the fact I thought I had the biggest konk but you sailed away with the victory on this one.” – (Facebook User, 2018). [1] This could be taken as innocuous trolling, light humour or as Edwards suggests sarcasm, “sometimes sarcasm is delivered as a funny statement but turns out to be misinterpreted by the receiver which causes problems to both sender and receiver” (Edwards, 2008). Leaving it open to discussion on what was really meant, this could be resolved by another form of miscommunication such as, ‘the absence of social cues when interacting with one another which explains the role of body languages during a conversation” (Edwards, 2008). Body language plays an important role when adding emotion into a conversation, as this can determine the level of seriousness which needs to be taken into consideration.

Trolling can take place in various formations such a slut-shaming an individual based upon their actions, how many partners they have had and potentially even how they choose to dress. As society progresses through everyday life new fashion trends come into play which some people may not appreciate leading to them feeling like they have to voice their opinion to the person participating with the hype. Newman suggests that individuals feel

16015058 MP5007 like they “can be ranked as inferior or superior” (Newman D. M. 2012) in relation to race as well as gender and sexual orientations. Racial trolls typically only make an appearance when those of darker skin tones are doing good things with their lives, Youtubers have to face backlash from viewers who do not feel they are worthy of their status due to the history of race.

Sexual orientation causes as much stir for those who hold homophobic ideologies in regards to individual’s interests. Trolls will target whoever they feel they can provoke a reaction from, whether young or old as trolls are not just from one specific age group. There is a story regarding a young 16-year-old girl, Julia Derbyshire, who was led to suicide by her peers after being attacked “physically, psychologically and online” having opened up about her sexuality; this suggests that trolls can attack in person also and are not always an online scare. When discussing situations, which end with the worst possible outcome, we should focus on the psychological impact the process had on not only the victim but the troller also. When being provoked both online and in person, this can lead to the development of mental health problems, antisocial behaviour online may be more pervasive than traditional antisocial behaviours and have a longer lasting impact on the victim (Park, Na, & Kim, 2014.) all because the troller is getting a thrill from causing torment to an individual, which results in situations like Julia’s occurring, however we also need to take into consideration the emotional impact and restraints it puts on victim’s families. In order to determine what type of troll is provoking a situation we must take into consideration the level of affective and cognitive empathy traits they obtain. Holding affective empathy suggests that they can experience and respond to emotions which stated

16015058 MP5007 by Jolliffe and Farrington (2006) leads to traditional bullying or face-to-face, whereas cognitive empathy refers to the understanding of an individual’s emotions and is the way to recognise online trolling in accordance to Ang and Goh (2010). Pairing cognitive empathy with psychopathy, the inability to produce care for other’s feelings, means trolls are able to recognise what will upset someone and the reactions they can elicit.

Being online can change the way a person acts and how others perceive them, this is all down to which persona they choose to use, there our own identity; or their imagined one. As it is an online space and not real, this suggests that they do not feel they can be held accountable for their offenses as they are arguable not even real. I decided to look into Rhee who researched virtual egos and online personas and the way their online behaviours can be determined through different concepts. When an individual is using a media platform such as YouTube they can comment on content maker’s videos with their opinions and views as it is a place where they can release tension, escape by viewing something that is not their own life for a short period of time, allows them as a viewer to obtain selfsatisfaction. “Linking this to online disinhibition effect which is the lack of restraint someone feels when communicating online in comparison to in person.” (Suler, J. 2004). There are two different factors, benign disinhibition which is the behaviour people of people who might place more in the sense of paying compliments on someone’s social media account, however toxic disinhibition is the act of carrying out behaviour which produces threats argument provoking comments regarding crime and violence that they would do in real life. Suler offers 6 factors that can determine the presence of a troll and why they might do it: anonymity, invisibility, asynchronous, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination which suggests that people have an idea that the internet it just a make-believer space

16015058 MP5007 which enables you to act how you want, typically in ways you would not normally during your real life and minimisation of status and authority.

Harvey Price is well-known for being Katie Price’s eldest son, and the target for a lot of trolling through social media due to his disabilities. This would fall under the flaming/shocking trolling category which, “usually happens when someone posts a provocative or offensive message or comments on online forums or Internet discussion group known as ‘flame bait’ (Moor, 2010). As social media advances and more people use it, celebrities want to showcase more of their lives as they are typically more lavish than ours, and want to show their young children developing and learning new things. This does not mean that celebrities who have more vulnerable people within their families cannot post the same content as those who don’t, as Harvey is a young child he should not be the target for these hate comments in general but trolls do not discriminate against age. One particular case of harassment against Harvey lead to the sacking of a troll from their daily job, this is when real life combines with their online persona which is becoming more heard of within this community. As a way of making a stand Price is challenging the legal threshold of harassment and has brought the factor of politics into the mix, hoping to achieve a new law called to stop racial abuse, creating sexual content in regards to what was being hurdled towards her son, as there are no laws in place that can place people behind bars for the horrific act of terrorising an individual.

Harassment plays a big part within the act of trolling, everyday individuals and celebrities both face this. However, as people who hold a large online following this allows for more

16015058 MP5007 criticism as they have more people viewing their profile than any others, for example Jessy Nelson of girl group Little Mix, faced backlash from followers of her Instagram account after she posted a photo to her 3.8m followers of her a Jamaican inspired hairstyle, a lot of trolls came out of the works to remind her of cultural appropriation, this could be deemed as more of an information type of trolling as they were suggesting maybe she should not cross over cultures without approaching the situation correctly. More forms of harassment can be targeted at those who are victims of a crime, Raoul Moat’s main victim received a lot of messages which were trying to provoke a negative reaction as they found humour within the whole situation which was documented on the news, as well as individuals who were not involved as they shared innocuous trolling with each other by posting comments suggesting Raoul moat was ‘hiding in their gardens’. This form of harassment is more to do with real life experiences, as Karen Matthews can be used as an example, long after the case of her ‘kidnapped daughter’ came to our television screens via news reports during 2008, she still receives abuse from trolls even though during the time of the case social media was not a widely-used platform.

To conclude I feel that the examples I chose to use within my case study backed up my hypothesis that technological advances has played a role within the widespread use of trolling, as people use media platforms as the main source of distributing their vicious and malicious behaviour towards others who are both innocent or guilty of a crime. Trolling is a major impediment within online communities, how celebrities can interact with their genuine followers, and how those with a larger following can be the centre of attention to non-copresent trolls purely because of their jobs. However, trolling has caused no bumps in

16015058 MP5007 terms of how technology has been advanced and new applications that are being proposed to society as more ways to control these factors are being put into place.

16015058 MP5007 Bibliography

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