Troll Tactics and How to Counter Them

2014-08-29, Vivian Abraham

This is my third and final (for the moment) draft. See notes and acknowledgements below. Please feel free to share!

The Internet, as a forum for discussion, can be both a wild success and abject failure. As any tool that lifts the voices of the disenfranchised, it has also motivated those who wish to silence those voices to create new methods of doing so. I call these Troll Tactics. Numerous flame wars have persuaded me that we can no longer fight fire with fire. Troll tactics should not be used against trolls. Instead, we should develop new tactics that allow all voices to be heard and foster an atmosphere of collaborative and constructive debate.

Troll Tactic Number 1. Engage. The troll will demand an elaborate, time-consuming comparison/analysis between your position and theirs. This prevents you from discussing your ideas first in order to fully develop them, but instead puts you in the immediate position of defending them.

To counter the distractions of constant Engagement, we can first Moderate: Create spaces where voices can discuss issues without interruption at first, and then bring those ideas to wider forums. There are times when elaborate comparisons are useful things to do. However, they need not done be on the troll's terms or demands. The value in comparisons of positions is increased on both sides by having time to first discuss those positions without interruption from those that directly oppose them. Then, when it is time to Engage directly, use methods that will lend themselves to constructive debate. These may include: Consent: Get consent from both parties that this debate is meant to be constructive, to increase understanding, to listen as well as speak. Prequalify: Set the rules for engagement in advance, and ask for confirmation. Ask for Reciprocation: If they ask for specific research, ask them for the same.

Troll Tactic Number 2. Entangle. The troll insists that the you explain everything in your own words, rather than linking to information that has already been thoroughly discussed. This brings every conversation back to the "101" level, a reiteration of the basics and definitions of all terms that prevents higher level discussion of the issues.

To counter Entangle, we can Own our own spaces: We can create our own communities and share content among them. Demands for attention in a space that is used primarily for trolling should be ignored. If someone has taken the time to write a thoughtful post on a subject and have it shared by many people, that is a resource that should be used.

Troll Tactic Number 3. Demoralize. The troll dismisses your narrative as rubbish immediately, without even reading it. This has the effect of discouraging the writer, and perhaps making them unwilling to expend the effort again.

To counter Demoralize, we can Support: If only a few in the community have the time to research and work on issues we care about, praise those people, and give them encouragement! Maybe you don't agree with everything a person says, but recognize that writing, research, and study is an enormous amount of (generally unpaid) work and contributes greatly to better discussions and understanding. If you have the ability to offer money in support, then do so. If you don't have that ability, then offer personal thanks.

Troll Tactic Number 4. Attack. Trolls will attack the source of information without regard to the content. Any opposing website or information source must be marginalized, trivialized and discounted.

To counter Attack, we can Ally: Maybe many things posted on a particular source of information or website are problematic. But we can look at each author as a separate individuals and consider them apart from the source. If one writer there is saying something that is worth hearing, don't be afraid to support that one writer. If that writer has written things that are problematic in the past, maybe they are moving in a positive direction and that should be encouraged.

Troll Tactic Number 5. Confuse. The troll constantly challenges the opposing position with questions. The questions need not be relevant. The goal is to knock the poster off their game, and seize control of the narrative.

To counter Confuse, we can Speak to the Audience: If the troll is just attempting to derail and out-endurance you, because the person you are speaking to has no interest in listening, you can instead talk to the audience, not to them. Maybe the troll is asking the question in a disingenuous way, but there may be others listening who really would like to know the answer to that question. If it is relevant, answer it in a way that contributes to the conversation. If it is not relevant, ignore it. Avoid actions that don't benefit the audience.

Troll Tactic Number 6. Contain. The troll's job is to prevent the presentation and spread of opposing viewpoints. They will do anything they can to prevent an opposing poster from presenting a well-reasoned argument or starting a civil discussion.

To counter Contain we can ask for Consent and, if necessary, Block: Of all the derailing tactics, this is one of the most common. Too frequently, an apparently reasonable voice is constantly attempting to argue every time a certain issue arises, or a certain group of people speak. People are hesitant to block this person, because they are being reasonable, but they are also unwilling to have the same argument over and over again. If you want to have a discussion with this person, ask for Consent and follow the guidelines under Tactic Number 1. If you don't want to have that discussion at this time, then let the person know. If they are truly reasonable, they will stop. If they ignore the warning and continue on, then they should be Blocked.

Troll Tactic Number 7. Intimidate. Name-calling, threats, ridicule, the troll often uses these tactics where they are losing a fact-based argument, in an attempt to derail the discussion. The discussion then becomes one about the name-calling, and the subject matter itself is forgotten. This tactic also serves to drive people away from the forum.

To counter Intimidate, we can Record and Remember: Those who use sexist and racist insults, those who shame people for their bodies, etc., should not be allowed to participate in debate, and will be looked down on by the community at large. Name calling most often happens anonymously or privately for these reasons, and may be deleted. Screen shots and wikis are helpful to make sure that these things are not forgotten.

Troll Tactic Number 8. Insult. The troll will assign as many character and moral flaws to the opposition as they can. They will always use these negative epithets when referring to, or describing their opponents.

To counter Insult, we can encourage Civility: In a forum where we genuinely wish to discuss an issue, we should try to avoid profanity and name calling, and we should avoid ad hominem attacks. Note, however, that a call for civility is too often used as a tactic of silencing (the "tone" argument). When anger is justified, strong words are also justified. The tactic of Civility should be enforced in forums where all voices have consented to discuss things in a civil tone, it should not be enforced in the personal space of someone who is using their own forum to speak about their own experiences.

Troll Tactic Number 9. Deceive. The troll may identify themselves as a moderate on a position, when they are actually an extremist. This is done to cause people to lower their guard, and also in combination with other tactics, such as Entangle and Confuse.

To counter Deceive, we can Share information: The main issue here is that the audience, anyone listening to the conversation, will expect you to treat an apparently moderate person with generosity, and we should. But we should also share who is clearly not a moderate. Similarly to Tactic No. 7, what trolls say should be recorded. Then, when the same person appears and claims to be moderate in their position, proof to the contrary can easily be linked.

Troll Tactic Number 10. Nostalgia/Tradition. If the other side is advocating change, then everything good that has ever happened thus far can be attributable to the troll's side, not theirs. The troll will claim the virtues of all existing things and argue that they will be lost if the other side wins.

To counter Nostalgia/Tradition, we can talk about Diversity of Experience. Often, a troll will bring up problematic, but beloved things, and make the argument that, if these things are good, then what is problematic about them should also be good. But not everyone has the same experience with those beloved things. By sharing and encouraging a Diversity of Experience we can talk about how those things are seen by others.

Troll Tactic Number 11. Demean. Similar to Intimidate and Insult, the troll will avoid any terms of respect for those who disagree with them. They will choose a label for those people they disagree with, or they will adopt a label and attempt to twist the meaning of it into something negative.

To counter Demean, we can either Embrace or Ignore: When "social justice warrior", for example, becomes a dirty word, the answer is not to find another label. Either ignore the label entirely, or embrace the label and ignore the negative connotations. If we allow others to tarnish our language, we will never be done with the task of relabeling. That said, there are labels that have become tarnished, not by forces of opposition, but by the people who created those labels themselves. Where a label is problematic, and someone does not want to Embrace it, they should be respected in their decision.

Troll Tactic Number 12. Opportunity. The troll will search for key words and topics, and every time that word or topic arises, they will post the same abuse in the comments section. Often this will be accompanied by a complaint that this topic is even discussed in the forum.

To counter Opportunity, we can, if necessary, Close Comments: It is right and fair to close conversations up when you aren't around to monitor them. If you want to allow comments to be open, it is sometimes helpful to have someone else moderate them. It can be exhausting dealing with attacks, especially personal ones. Sharing this burden, or eliminating it entirely, is entirely justified.

• Note One: The troll tactics listed were originally taken from a document purporting to be written by Karl Rove. 1) I doubt that is actually true, 2) I have rewritten them to be more general and concise, and 3) this isn't about politics, it is about constructive community building on the Internet.
• Note Two: Thanks so much to +John Stavropoulos , +Bri Anderson , and +Filamena Young who contributed to parts of this! I have edited their words a bit, hopefully without changing their meaning and intent.
• Note Three: This list is an attempt to raise the level of discourse, keep people sane and happy, and generally make the Internet a nicer place to be. That said, I will totally admit that I have been a troll from time to time, and I have used some of these troll tactics myself against people that I dislike. This list is an ideal to work toward, for myself, and hopefully a tool of use to other people.