Stefan Krappitz on Troll Culture

Stefan Krappitz, writer of the book Troll Culture: A Comprehensive Guide, discusses the phenomenon of internet trolling. For Krappitz trolling is disrupting people for personal amusement. Trolling is largely a positive phenomenon argues Krappitz. While it can become very negative in some cases, for the most part trolling is simply an amusing practice that is no different than playing practical jokes. Krappitz believes that trolling has been around since before the age of the internet. He notes that the behavior of Socrates is reminiscent of trolling because he pretended to be a student and then used his questioning to mock people who did not know what they were talking about. Krappitz also discusses anonymity and how it contributes and takes away from trolling as well as discussing where the line is between good trolling and cyber-bullying.

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Related Links


“Troll Culture: A Comprehensive Guide” , by Krappitz
“How the Internet Beat Up and 11-Year-Old Girl” by Gawker
“Forever Alone Involuntary Flashmob”, Vice
“The Trolls Among Us”, New York Times
“Trolling for Ethics: Mattathias Schwartz’s Awesome Piece on Internet Poltergeists”, New York Times