Thoughts on Trolling
Internet trolling seems simple, but sometimes can be more complex than than they seem. There can be simple one word answers, or longer thoughts commented. It can start at any age, if the person has access to the internet and a device. And it's not like the target can just walk away. The troll is there on the internet for anyone to find.
When I was in elementary school, the technology teacher created a whole unit on what cyberbullying is, the different positions you can have on it, and how to try and prevent the troll from going any farther. During the troll, there is the 'victim', being the person who is targeted, the 'bully', who has created the troll, and there is the 'bystander', the person who just stands there, watching the process go on without intervening. My class and I were always told not to be the 'bystander,' and to go get a trusted adult to help with the problem. Though this was good advice for second and third graders, as time has passed, I feel like we should be taught other ways to stop the troll. As we get more independent, it may get harder to always go to a trusted adult, and eventually, we will be said adults. What do we do then? All we were taught to do was go tell the adult.
I think that kids should be taught about cyberbullying maybe two or three times during their school years. Once, maybe twice in elementary school with the lessons about going to the adult, which is perfect advice for younger students. We should then have another lesson halfway through middle school, in seventh grade, with solutions that go a bit deeper than 'go tell a trusted adult'. The last of the lessons should be in high school, with advice on what to do and how to eventually be the trusted adult younger kids go to for help. Because otherwise how will we ever know what do do when a troll comes up?
But is cyberbullying all that bad? Though it may hurt the intended target, the bully may be attempting to pick themselves after a rough day. The bully may have social difficulties at school, not seeming to fit in at all, and they are just trying to fit in. It could help them feel better about any insecurities. I'm not saying these are valid reasons to injure someone else, but we do have to look at the bigger picture. These trolls can also the targets, and everyone else, think more carefully about what they post, which is never a bad thing. The cyberbully could have put the troll there to cover up the fact that the post hurt them, or the fact that it's inappropriate.
So, we should educate future generations more on what to do with cyberbullying, but we should also keep in mind that someone else may have a worse problem than the target. Trolling should not be embraced for the reasons I listed earlier, just thought of more carefully.
When I was in elementary school, the technology teacher created a whole unit on what cyberbullying is, the different positions you can have on it, and how to try and prevent the troll from going any farther. During the troll, there is the 'victim', being the person who is targeted, the 'bully', who has created the troll, and there is the 'bystander', the person who just stands there, watching the process go on without intervening. My class and I were always told not to be the 'bystander,' and to go get a trusted adult to help with the problem. Though this was good advice for second and third graders, as time has passed, I feel like we should be taught other ways to stop the troll. As we get more independent, it may get harder to always go to a trusted adult, and eventually, we will be said adults. What do we do then? All we were taught to do was go tell the adult.
I think that kids should be taught about cyberbullying maybe two or three times during their school years. Once, maybe twice in elementary school with the lessons about going to the adult, which is perfect advice for younger students. We should then have another lesson halfway through middle school, in seventh grade, with solutions that go a bit deeper than 'go tell a trusted adult'. The last of the lessons should be in high school, with advice on what to do and how to eventually be the trusted adult younger kids go to for help. Because otherwise how will we ever know what do do when a troll comes up?
But is cyberbullying all that bad? Though it may hurt the intended target, the bully may be attempting to pick themselves after a rough day. The bully may have social difficulties at school, not seeming to fit in at all, and they are just trying to fit in. It could help them feel better about any insecurities. I'm not saying these are valid reasons to injure someone else, but we do have to look at the bigger picture. These trolls can also the targets, and everyone else, think more carefully about what they post, which is never a bad thing. The cyberbully could have put the troll there to cover up the fact that the post hurt them, or the fact that it's inappropriate.
So, we should educate future generations more on what to do with cyberbullying, but we should also keep in mind that someone else may have a worse problem than the target. Trolling should not be embraced for the reasons I listed earlier, just thought of more carefully.
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