How to Deal With Social Media Trolls

Are you familiar with this term? We’re seeing evidence of them everywhere on social media, which is a shame.

As a verb, troll can mean “to post inflammatory or irrelevant material on an electronic forum to provoke responses; as a noun, it can mean “a person who posts such material.”

But no matter what the dictionary says, we all know what troll really means: TROUBLE!

Have you encountered any of this in your time here on LI or other platforms? Has someone seemed to feel the need to wound YOU publicly, to make you feel sad … I guess so that person somehow then feels happy?

But what does that say about them? Why does anyone feel the need to attack another person publicly for no reason? Professional jealousy? Feeling “less than,” so need to squash someone else to feel good?

The hardest part of all this is that the minute we ask what’s going on, it can be perceived as an attack, and trolls rarely hesitate to jump in with both feet and attack back with everything they have.

So, most recommend taking the high road, ignoring what is clearly someone acting in a totally ugly and unprofessional manner … even if we’re just dying to say something. Right?

I wonder if some folks come from a mindset of scarcity, so others are perceived as threats who could take away part of something that leaves less for that person. Maybe making someone else seem to be less somehow translates into making the troll feel better … ?

Next to me, he is nothing! So if I can make him look incompetent, surely someone will see how much better I am and hire me!

Really? Doubtful in the extreme! I think that backfires most of the time — as it should.

I would immediately cross such a person off my list of friends, colleagues, or those whom I’d refer, because I don’t accept acting that way. Then again, my mindset is one of abundance: There is enough business (or whatever else we need) for all of us to have some, presuming we’re qualified. I have no need to put someone else down to feel better about myself.

And as a friend recently posted:

Whoever is trying to bring you down is already below you.

What has been your experience with trolls? How have you handled an attack? What would you recommend others do?