INFORMATION

  In this day and age, it is widely known that technology has become omnipresent in society (Dela Peña, 2023). While the internet has presented individuals with opportunities to voice their opinions and engage with others online, it has also given rise to the problem of online trolling. In the Philippines, where social media has become a lifestyle for most, online trolling has become prevalent, and has been used as a popular tool for spreading false information and harassment. Rather than as a means to convey a meaningful message, online trolling has been highly propelled by political issues and anonymity online.

     In some cases, individuals engage in online trolling behavior as a way to express their support with government policies, and to promote specific political agendas (Data Privacy Philippines, 2020). According to an article from Channel News Asia (2022), online trolling has become a profitable industry in the Philippines, with some individuals being paid to post propaganda on social media platforms. This has been observed particularly during election periods, where candidates hire groups called "troll armies" to attack their opponents, drown opposing viewpoints, and shape public opinion in their favor (Walker, 2022). This issue has truly raised many concerns in the country–beginning with politicians’ motivation behind the use of these trolls being labeled as a way to assert dominance on the political playing field, and undermine a fair democratic process. For the individuals who pursue trolling, their motivation is almost always clearly for financial gain–as these individuals are paid to comment and generate engagement online as a whole career. This really begs the question of whether or not the country is headed towards a steady decline opposite from a community with equity and progression; or if there’s even a slight chance that justice will prevail.

    Moreover, the anonymity provided by social media has made it easier for individuals to engage in trolling without the fear of consequences or being identified (The Philippine Star, 2019). As the fear of the mass continues to decrease, the amount of trolls on the internet begins to flourish (Channel News Asia, 2022). The article also notes that many of these trolls are composed of ordinary people who are struggling to make money, and see trolling as a way to earn extra income. This is a troubling trend as it highlights the desperation of some Filipinos, and the lack of economic opportunities within the country. It truly shows the disheartening situation that our countrymen are forced to endure as they have to resort to unconventional means for livelihood, and to survive in the real world.

    In conclusion, a variety of elements, such as political issues and anonymity, have carefully shaped the condition of online trolling in the Philippines. Although trolling may appear to be a popular and effective way to spread a message, it ultimately does more harm than good as it encourages hate speech, fake news, and the maintenance of a hostile online environment. Instead of resorting to a harrowing act such as this one, we should instead make an effort to have respectful, truthful, and open-minded discourse with whom we are engaging with. Afterall, we can only genuinely create a more inclusive society for all of us by listening to, and learning from one another's situations.

Social media was a ground-breaking creation, a space to create and maintain relationships over long distances. It was easier than ever to meet and interact with new people, but as time progressed, this heightened freedom and reach of speech began showing its unforeseen consequences. The world was simply unprepared. Everyone obtained a powerful voice, but with this did not come the responsibility to wield it. Over the years, irresponsibility and lack of proper enforcement brought countless ways to create a toxic online environment, one example being trolling.  

Online trolling is a broad term that encompasses acts that target individuals or groups online, seeking to provoke the target (March, 2020). Though different from harassment, the two may intersect at times. Countless instances of trolling can be easily found as anonymity online provides a false protection against responsibility and accountability (Stea, 2020). Ranging from light to severe, trolling receives reactions, with arguments and harmful exchanges being some of the most noticeable. Though it may be easy to believe that trolls simply seek the amusement brought by angry reactions, for many it is much deeper than that. 

Trolling has been attributed to attention-seeking, amusement, psychopathy, sadism, self-defense, and retribution (Paglia 2022; March, 2020). In other words, trolling stems from making oneself feel alive, feel present. Whether it be trolling for amusement or to defend one’s beliefs, it results in being acknowledged, whether good or bad. We naturally seek validation from others, and reactions such as those brought by trolling provide a drug-like fulfillment, a false sense of worth, believing that simply eliciting an external response denotes meaningful action. 

Trolling can easily be shut down by indifference, intolerance, and ignorance (March, 2020; Stea, 2020), but I believe its prevalence signifies a bigger issue in our society. Everybody wants to be visible, and it can even be considered a necessity as invisibility can lead to graver mental health issues (Improving Lives Counseling Services, Inc., 2023). The addictive nature of social media then, acted as a drug, providing those deficit in visibility an avenue to attain it, even through unhealthy manners such as trolling. 

With this, we must be more aware and responsible with our actions online. Mental health awareness has been prevalent thanks to the wide reaches of social media, but it is ironic that acts such as trolling, which stem from and affect mental health, are common online. Besides not contributing to trolling, we must collectively work towards extinguishing it, which is far more complex in action than in word. The mere disappearance of trolling is only half the battle, as we must address its roots in mental health. 

As netizens, we must resist alienating other users online, and remember the humans behind the accounts. We must expedite a shift from animosity and indifference, to sympathy and friendliness to create a healthier online environment that protects mental health. Simple acts such as checking in with your friends from time to time to see how they are holding up can go a long way, this was the intended use of social media after all. With support and action from tech giants and governments worldwide, we may hopefully lose the need to clout-chase through harmful acts such as trolling by upholding mental health protection. 

“It is easier to fault a stranger than a friend. Though social media connects us, anonymity makes us strangers to most. Do not allow this indifference to give us the power to judge and offend.”

Serial killers, thieves, terrorists—what common ground binds them? There’s more to their violent nature, really. Past violence, cruelty, gratification, or even a place of need, it is human error and vulnerability that they exploit. As we likewise exit the real-world setting and enter the digital, the same can be said for online trolls. 

Breaking into the virtual world and its enormity, the space has long been worshiped as a sanctuary for connecting with others, minus the physical identity. It is an avenue that offers the freedom of anonymity, hence is often a breeding den for all sorts of derogatory. Whether it is to stir drama or elicit emotional responses, internet trolling is a form of baiting the public; behaving deceptively and disruptively with no apparent instrumental purpose. The bitter pill to swallow is how this negativity and emotional rhetoric are what sell outrageously well. While it can be disguised as plain foolishness, it is found that tendencies of malevolence by trolls spur from something known as “dark traits”: psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism. They feed on others’ pain. They are likely to score high on cognitive empathy, where intellectually they have an understanding for people’s emotions but in the same way know how to make them suffer. As we question the place from where their lashing out stems from, we are tangled inside whether it is the desire to induce harm or the want to display power that drives them. Half the time, it’s blatant attention. Those insecure and want to get a kick out of being hostile towards others are more likely to troll. In an interview from an account, Dr Kalanit Ben Ari reinforces the idea that: “Their comments often spark attention from others, so it can give the illusion of being important.” “And this sense of importance and centre of attention usually compensates for how they really feel in their life.” Sinister as it looks, predatorial as it may, the desperation to be heard and seen is very much a variable in this landscape. It’s only a human thing to want to be noticed. While it’s easy to villainize the culprits, to steer away from regression shall we examine its origin at the very least. 

Social media is a feat within people. As much as we are already aware of this fact, it is pivotal to recognize the bearing such an impact has on the moral arc we create amongst society and the believed status quo. Making connections and establishing them has taken on one too many forms in this era, some non-traditional, and still it isn’t entirely the demise of discovering what’s true. Taking comfort and seeking sanctuary in anonymous spaces has worked for many and there’s no shame about it. When navigated through proper intervention, it is the people that can bend the arc toward progressive justice. And though that isn’t guaranteed, aspiring is always a choice. Lest we forget, only by understanding it can we even start to inoculate ourselves against it.

  My mother used to say, if you ask a politician to clean your house for a vote, they will do it. Political parties nowadays, use anything to gain an advantage from their competitors, instead of trying to promote their ideologies and plans, some politicians choose to bring their oppositions down. With the rise of social media platforms, this tactic is growing more and more evident. Political parties are now hiring troll armies, whose goal is to spread false information and lies about the opposition on social media, to gain an advantage. 

Social media is very important for freedom of speech, originally aiming to create a free space for everyone to connect, platforms like Twitter have become areas for discussion in various topics. According to a Washington Post article, Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, stated that he wants Twitter to be a free speech utopia, where there are few restrictions on what people can or cannot say. Due to this freedom, twitter has been the epicenter for online criticism of political parties from the people, this goes hand in hand with the recent trend of “cancel culture”. This phenomenon involves boycotting, ostracizing and stopping giving support to someone who has said or done something that is socially unacceptable. Although cancellation culture started with just intentions to bring to light actual wrongdoing, it has nowadays been used maliciously, using wrong information to persuade the public to one's ideology. People using social media in this manner are called online trolls and these trolls have seemingly made a business around this very idea.  

Politicians have rapidly adapted social media into their campaigning process. Not just that, social media has become integral in campaigning material due to its cost-effective and fast way of gaining publicity. But along with good use of these platforms, comes with the improper and malicious use of them. Some politicians have decided to use paid agents to purposefully spread misinformation about the opposition in order to gain the favor of the public. This information typically is something that is wrong compared to social norms or “cancellable”. These online agents are paid to troll others, their targets are predominantly influencers and politicians . An article from Channel New Asia, tackles one of these online agents, named Sharon [not her real name]. She states that many political groups have used her services to spread disinformation. In the same article they talk to another hired troll who stated that she has been hired by 2 candidates in the presidential elections. When asked if the political clients are aware that she hires people to spread disinformation, she stated that that was the reason they hired her. 

Due to the rise of cancel culture and the subsequent malicious use of social media by politicians, It can seem hard to find what information is credible. Politicians' use of these online trolls, although seeming to work, is very wrong and a malicious way of using the freedom that social media gives all of us. We should use this freedom correctly and not attack others for our own malicious intent.