Re:The concept of an internet "troll" makes little sense if ...
by alex_c on Monday October 15, 2007 @03:41PM
(#68174)
I care what the motivations are.
A person with a strong but controversial opinion will stick to and defend their point of view throughout the debate. The end result might be that I now understand a new point of view, or that they alter their point of view.
A troll will duck and weave, change topics and backtrack. The goal isn't to express an opinion they believe in, but to annoy people and get responses. The end result is that I waste my time reading their posts, since they're not going anywhere with it.
Sometimes you can only tell the difference after the dust settles. I'm still trying to make up my mind about this thread ;)
A person with a strong but controversial opinion will stick to and defend their point of view throughout the debate. The end result might be that I now understand a new point of view, or that they alter their point of view.
A troll will duck and weave, change topics and backtrack. The goal isn't to express an opinion they believe in, but to annoy people and get responses. The end result is that I waste my time reading their posts, since they're not going anywhere with it.
Sometimes you can only tell the difference after the dust settles. I'm still trying to make up my mind about this thread ;)