Current Events > I don't understand why people respond to trolls.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like every topic which is a blatant troll topic on gamefaqs ends up with like 100+ replies of people just going, "wow such a bad troll" and those same people generally stay in the topic and keep replying and defending their opinion.

Isn't that a successful troll when that happens? That person has obviously annoyed people. Isn't the best way to combat trolls to just ignore the topic and let it die?
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Trolls are good at baiting attention. That's the point.
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I think people somehow think they can finally outsmart the troll or reason with their mental gymnastics.
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People get called "troll" for posting anything slightly negative or unpopular here.

Most of dem are just bored
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Boredom
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I actually find it kind of fun to troll a troll.

Especially when they see what you're doing there.
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As others have said, people call others trolls often as an easy way to dismiss their arguments.
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when no one new responds, the trolls can just bump the topic with one of their alts until they get the attention they're after
("how to get the most out of your shitposting ")

some of the biggest debate junkies here don't bother waiting for other users to post topics to start shit in
they just post a really triggering OP with a dummy alt and then start arguing with it to look superior on their better known account...
("can't find a villain? conveniently make one")

hell some posters here revive their topics after posts dry up by jumping on an inconspicuous alt, posting some deliberately ass backwards controversial response that nets a bunch of ridiculing replies, and boom topic is alive again
("fetish for 500 topics")

like there's a ton of different ways to piggyback off alts on CE, including trolling
it should be standard to know this shit by now since the site's setup encourages it...
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1. Just because they say things you disagree with doesn't make them a troll.
2. Some people deserved to be trolls like people who keeps on playing a game even though all he does is comes on the Internet to complain non-stop about it. This person needs to be trolled until the end of the world until he learns he just needs to simply stop playing a game that is torturing his life.
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The thrill
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V-E-G-Y- posted...

Most of dem are just bored

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V-E-G-Y- posted...

Most of dem are just bored

CableZL posted...

Boredom

people who cite being "bored" are full of shit

nobody gets that invested into arguing with somebody just cause they have nothing better to do
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I don't try to troll the troll, I just make him look like the bad guy and they usually run away from battle from there.

What I like to do is out-edge edgelords. Not a lot of people are aware they like to act like a witty sarcastic edgelord who thinks they're the funniest thing in the world comparable to Deadpool himself.
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cavalierking posted...

people who cite being "bored" are full of s***

nobody gets that invested into arguing with somebody just cause they have nothing better to do

It's not about "getting invested." It's about burning time. There are a lot of times at work where I literally have nothing to do because I'm waiting on something. Could the time be spent better elsewhere? Sure, but it's just one way to burn time.
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The accusation of "trolling" has lost all meaning around. People will use it against you for disagreeing with them.
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CableZL posted...

cavalierking posted...

people who cite being "bored" are full of s***

nobody gets that invested into arguing with somebody just cause they have nothing better to do

It's not about "getting invested." It's about burning time. There are a lot of times at work where I literally have nothing to do because I'm waiting on something. Could the time be spent better elsewhere? Sure, but it's just one way to burn time.

let me guess - you're the type who'll leave an argument on something like, "lol, i wasn't even really trying. i was only entertaining you cause i'm bored" or something egotistical like that, right
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cavalierking posted...

let me guess - you're the type who'll leave an argument on something like, "lol, i wasn't even really trying. i was only entertaining you cause i'm bored" or something egotistical like that, right

No, if I'm bored enough and feel like arguing, I'll do it. If I have something else to do at the moment, I won't.
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I never got the boredom excuse either. You're on the internet where there's no limit for entertainment and people decide to waste time trading insults and fallacies with some loser who's trying to make people mad? If one wants to debate I'm sure there are better sites to do that on.

Some people are just addicted to arguing I guess. It is kinda shitty how a good or potentially good topic can go off the rails and turn into crap because of a troll and some person who feels the need to feed them. That's my only problem with it. If one really feels the absolute must need to argue they can do it in PMs, but that never happens.
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Southernfatman posted...

I never got the boredom excuse either. You're on the internet where there's no limit for entertainment and people decide to waste time trading insults and fallacies with some loser who's trying to make people mad? If one wants to debate I'm sure there are better sites to do that on.

Some people are just addicted to arguing I guess. It is kinda shitty how a good or potentially good topic can go off the rails and turn into crap because of a troll and some person who feels the need to feed them. That's my only problem with it. Then again if one really feels the need to argue they can do it in PMs, but that never happens.

Sure, other sites are more entertaining, but video streaming is frowned upon at work unless it's being done for a work related purpose because it uses more bandwidth. So that knocks out Youtube and the like for the most part. Netflix is blocked.

CE is pretty much the only board I post on. Sometimes I'll venture to a certain board like the NFL/NBA boards or one of the anime/manga boards, but I don't post on those boards consistently.
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so you guys just willingly argue with people you already know are both being facetious and won't ever concede (which, you know, bypasses the entire point of arguing)

just cause you're "bored"

or cause you think it's "interesting" (as if people who can make up anything they want can't just say anything to antagonize and trigger - total shocker!)

seems completely fruitless and stupid (yes, even moreso than browsing here to begin with), but you guys do you, i guess
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cavalierking posted...

so you guys just willingly argue with people you already know are both being facetious and won't ever concede (which, you know, bypasses the entire point of arguing)

just cause you're "bored"

or cause you think it's "interesting" (as if people who can make up anything they want can't just say anything to antagonize and trigger - total shocker!)

seems completely fruitless and stupid (yes, even moreso than browsing here to begin with), but you guys do you, i guess

I agree that it's stupid, but again... It burns time.
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its all because others care. that's what it boils down to.

like if AI were to chat with us, they'd troll us because that's the kind of interaction they can only have that'll bring people to a messageboard.
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Southernfatman posted...

I never got the boredom excuse either. You're on the internet where there's no limit for entertainment and people decide to waste time trading insults and fallacies with some loser who's trying to make people mad? If one wants to debate I'm sure there are better sites to do that on.

Some people are just addicted to arguing I guess. It is kinda shitty how a good or potentially good topic can go off the rails and turn into crap because of a troll and some person who feels the need to feed them. That's my only problem with it. If one really feels the absolute must need to argue they can do it in PMs, but that never happens.

my take on it is that it's the equivalent of liking to hear yourself speak

these people are just ostentatious and desperate to show off how "smart" they are or how well they can argue or whatever else
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kkTheKiller42 posted...

I think people somehow think they can finally outsmart the troll or reason with their mental gymnastics.

That is possible, typically they just ignore you if you succeed and interact with the other people in the topic instead.
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The good trolls don't make it immediately apparent that they are trolling. I've taken the bait more than a few times tbh.
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Asherlee10 posted...

"I don't like doing something, so others that do it are stupid and desperate."

you literally argue with people who can make up anything they want and aren't concerned with ever conceding or reaching a resolve or accomplishing anything that isn't just antagonization for the sake of it

... uh, yeah, i'd say that's pretty stupid

even cable admitted that; why can't you?
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cavalierking posted...

you literally argue with people who can make up anything they want and aren't concerned with ever conceding or reaching a resolve or accomplishing anything that isn't just antagonization for the sake of it

... uh, yeah, i'd say that's pretty stupid

even cable admitted that; why can't you?

I mean... by comparison, would you say that posting in this topic has been a fruitful or fulfilling way to spend your time?
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Basically the Xbox One board in a nutshell. Theres several users that troll on that board for years now and yet people still respond to them.
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CableZL posted...

cavalierking posted...

let me guess - you're the type who'll leave an argument on something like, "lol, i wasn't even really trying. i was only entertaining you cause i'm bored" or something egotistical like that, right

No, if I'm bored enough and feel like arguing, I'll do it. If I have something else to do at the moment, I won't.

yeah, exactly

I mean maybe we'd be full of shit if we said we literally didn't care at all (I do care about being right and/or making a good argument) but it doesn't mean I'm obsessed either

there's a reason I 'debate' a lot between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST and it is neither because I have a weird hormonal imbalance that makes me aggressive in the sunlight nor because every argument is actually done by dinner time

I mean the reason I started coming to social boards on this site was to argue about religion lol
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cavalierking posted...

you literally argue with people who can make up anything they want and aren't concerned with ever conceding or reaching a resolve or accomplishing anything that isn't just antagonization for the sake of it

you never change any one's mind by talking to them about a topic logically

I guess you could argue its for the benefit of others, but mainly it is for my benefit. believe it or not, figuring out how to tackle stupid arguments is kind of fun and also kind of useful (most people irl are actually trolls on the inside)
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