I have been doing what I call “Positive Trolling”. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept I will include a brief definition. Trolling refers to the practice of using social media to start arguments on community forums through the use of personalized insults and shaming in hopes of inciting an emotional reaction from anyone who willingly responds.
I go back and forth on whether or not to target “trolls” in part because I am not sure they are actual people and not fake Facebook pages created solely for the purpose of trolling. I do not target individuals who only post three word insults primarily because they do not add enough to the conversation to warrant a response. I reach out to both strangers and friends, people who post what I agree with as well as what I don’t, but basically anyone who posts something that is divisive, insulting, shaming, or offensive.
“Trolls” representing the scope of the entire political spectrum exist on Facebook. In no particular order this includes: Liberal, Progressive, Democrats, Conservatives, Republicans, Libertarians…etc. I engage individuals who post on political responses on News Forums without insult, blame, or shame; often simply thanking them for sharing their thoughts via Facebook and asking if they would be interested in joining me for a conversation on either the topic of their post or a different political topic.
Through Positive Trolling I have spoken with 65 people in the past month.Most of whom have responded and a few of whom I have engaged with in political discussions about a variety of relevant topics. The main idea is to use diffusive language that elicits a measured response as opposed to an emotionally charged reaction. Do not expect the first response to be positive; the emotional state of Facebook has reached an all time high and sometimes it takes more than one response for individuals to engage neutrally through the sharing of information.
Creating A Nation United 