Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say

Re:Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say by mos_basik on Friday March 31, 2017 @06:50PM (#14009084)

Adding to that - all the cool kids these days are saying "baiting" instead of "trolling". The concept (and metaphor) hasn't been lost.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say by WiseWeasel on Friday March 31, 2017 @09:56PM (#14009940)

Trolling is scraping the bottom, stirring the muck up into a net; not quite analogous to luring/baiting, a much more sporting tactic.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say by mirimir on Saturday April 01, 2017 @02:52AM (#14010911)

No, that's trawling. Trolling is also called longline fishing, with many baited hooks.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say by kazinator on Sunday April 02, 2017 @11:55AM (#14017583)

I suspect that when troll refers to dragging anything, it's just a spelling and regional pronunciation variant on trawl.

According to etymonline.com, the etymology of "trawl" is:

1560s, from Dutch tragelen, from Middle Dutch traghelen "to drag," from traghel "dragnet," probably from Latin tragula "dragnet." Related: Trawled; trawling.

Now, "troll" verb:

late 14c., "to go about, stroll," later (early 15c.) "roll from side to side, trundle," probably from Old French troller, a hunting term, "wander, to go in quest of game without purpose" (Modern French trôler), from a Germanic source (compare Old High German trollen "to walk with short steps"), from Proto-Germanic truzlanan.*

It's rather related to "stroll". Nothing in the semantics about fishing.

I suspect that "troll" in longline fishing in fact refers to the long line with many hooks being pulled around; i.e. "trawled".

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say by WiseWeasel on Saturday April 01, 2017 @12:28PM (#14012870)

Ohhhhh... it should be called trawling then! : P

[ Parent | on HN ]