Alissa Widman's Journalism 4950 Blog

When you visualize a “troll,” what do you see?

It probably isn’t a furry creature of folklore lurking under a bridge or a plastic doll with an unkempt hairdo from the 1960s.

The birth of the Internet and its subsequent population by thousands of bitter, crafty pranksters have significantly altered the meaning of the ages-old word “troll.”

Does a blog reader keep posting negative comments? Troll.

Do you click on a link expecting to find a risqué website and find a sub-par music video instead? Troll.

Although “trolling situations” sometimes make for good conversation (and a pretty funny meme, pictured above), anonymous trolls sometimes take seemingly harmless insults too far. And with its global reach and quick, easy-to-use platform, Twitter is the perfect tool for trolls to attack their feeble targets.

On a college campus, where free time is abundant for some less-than-average students and wit is in high supply, campus-themed Twitter accounts sprout up like springtime daisies. The anonymous students manning the accounts quickly gain a reputation with the student body, utilizing inside jokes and quirky insults to poke fun at college-specific characteristics.

Some people may think they’re funny. But to me, most of them are just trolls.

The trolls have invaded Bowling Green State University, with accounts @Falcon_Problems and @OnlyatBGSU dominating for at least a year and @BGslutz, @Vagina_Rock, @BGSU_Squirrels, @FrattytheFalcon and @McFAILCenter playing catch-up in comparison. A handful of other accounts exist.

While the first two accounts often make me chuckle — admittedly, I follow them to my phone — the rest rarely do. Often, they’re just outlandish. Sometimes, they’re sexist and politically incorrect. Frequently they’re just plain mean and trying way too hard.

I don’t blame them for trying — after all, seeing the two successful accounts gaining so much respect on the Internet must fuel a desire for a piece of the egotism pie. And with Twitter’s shield of anonymity preventing any real-world backlash, what’s the harm?

Unfortunately, these anonymous accounts can inflict much more damage than their fledgling operators realize.

The victims: The older man, a non-traditional student whose picture is circulating as you mock him. The school Quidditch team and Anime club, as you poke fun at their passions. The women, Greeks, gays and freshmen whose stereotypes you perpetuate. The student journalist who wrote a story you criticized without even reading.

(Yeah, the last one is me.)

To me, a successful joke doesn’t require insulting someone in the process. I think this is why @Falcon_Problems and @OnlyatBGSU succeed among BGSU students, while the other BGSU-themed accounts, relying almost solely on insults, fall short.

As we’ve discussed in this class, to successfully utilize social media, the golden rule is “think before you post.” Even if your account is anonymous, this rule still applies.

I plan to expand on this topic in my weekly Wednesday column for The BG News. Comment with any feedback, questions or suggestions that may be helpful for the final product.