I also really believe that when people are rude to you, it says more about them than it does you. Sometimes I just reply to troll comments with, “u ok??” because honestly that is what I’m wondering. “Thanks for the engagement, have an amazing day!” is another fave, just to give people a reality check. I totally get and support how some creators have strict blocking criteria, but I very rarely block people, because I am honestly fascinated in how other people’s minds work.
Are you a troll?
I view my engagement online as a form of social currency, so I prefer to spend my likes, comments, and shares on content that I actually like and support rather than wasting time boosting engagement for content I disagree with. There are also so many scientists or science-adjacent people who have grown in popularity by being assholes, and I just don’t want to be a part of that elitist culture.
/u/YoungZaphod, Mod of the Subreddit r/UnpopularOpinion
It seems like people who post on r/unpopularopinion are all trolls. How do you moderate that?
The subreddit deals with a decent amount of trolls, but most of them are pretty low-effort. The classics like “I think Hitler was right” and similar xenophobic, racist, or otherwise ridiculous posts generally get picked up by our autofilter, but occasionally more creative ones come through. One of my favorite posts that we left up had something to do with enjoying the feeling of wet socks. Benign posts like that don’t bother me, although leaving one up on the front page for a while does generally incur an influx of more in the future.
Do you respond to trolls that try to spam the subreddit?
I’ve generally learned it’s not worth pursuing a response. I receive quite a few messages a day from people who are annoyed their shitposts aren’t being approved. Every troll thinks they’re God’s gift to the internet, when there’s really nothing to distinguish them from the thousands of other trolls out there.
What are some strategies to deal with shitposters online?
As a rule, I ignore them. It’s not worth getting upset about things on a (mostly) anonymous forum. I do enjoy back-and-forth banter a bit in some of the smaller subreddits I frequent though! If I took time out of my day to respond or read every hate message I got I would be a very busy person.
Is there a meme that best represents your online persona?
A quote from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “I’d far rather be happy than right any day.”
Are you a troll or a shitposter?
I don’t necessarily think I’m a troll, although I do enjoy playing devil’s advocate (probably why I started r/unpopularopinion in the first place). Definitely enjoy shitposting, though, as long as it’s not too serious.
Blakely Thornton, Pop Culture Anthropologist, @blakelythornton
How often do you deal with trolls giving hot takes?
I deal with trolls every single day. That is a consequence of being Black and gay on the internet.
Does it take a toll on you? How do you out-troll a troll?
Ninety-five percent of trolls can’t construct a simple sentence, so I usually just point out that they’ve confused “their” with “there” or “they’re.” I don’t respond to everyone, because there’s simply not enough time in the day, and to quote my mother, “racism isn’t the shark, it’s the water.”
So how do you deal with them?
I find a passionless recitation of the circumstances of their lives, through all publicly available information on the internet tends to end altercations fairly quickly.
Is there a meme that best represents your online persona?
The girl smirking next to a burning building. Or that little dog drinking coffee saying “it’s fine” as everything burns around him. If the two of them had a baby via surrogate it would be me.
Are you a troll?
Only if you’re an oligarch, a bigot, or both.
