Harassment and casual trolling are two words that are consistently involved with each other, yet they’re both separated by a gray area because not all trolling can be harassment. However, they’re easily found in the same place, for instance GamerGate. GamerGate was an unexpected explosion in the online community that brought online trolling and harassment to the forefront of news. It started with a small, yet long 10,000 word manifesto of pure hate and invalid sources. It was posted on forums, which anonymous people jumped on the hate bandwagon or as Anita Sarkeesian called it, an online mob. In my opinion, a lot of the mob mentality within situations like GamerGate is instigated by trolling. Although trolling is defined more like minute negative acts, which aren’t as extreme as the horrific death threats towards Zoe Quinn, something could be said about the evolution of trolling. Some versions of trolling like body blocking and in-game obstruction can be semi harmless, but when done in bad taste, it’s detrimental. 

Insults are an example of harmful trolling. During GamerGate, users on anonymous forums, like 4chan, were the harassers and many 4chan users would categorize their own harassment as trolling, but this could be a harsher form. Other words like flaming and griefing are discussed as a variation of trolling instead, where they teeter on the edge of harassment and trolling. Regardless, trolling is a form of sadism (Cook). In the minds of the troll, there is almost no end to how far their sadism can go. Therefore, can trolling evolve into a form of sexual harassment or abuse? 

It could be the case, but what can be done to combat this? 

The Center for Solution of Violence demonstrates extreme promise. Not only does it provide resources for victims of harassment, but it informs potential abusers, which appear beneficial in fixing the root of a cause. Resources can be quite efficient, but stopping the problem at the source would end more need for resources. Not everyone starts off as a harasser. It could truly be anyone. Trolling can start as a game for many. The attention and reaction is one of the more popular reasons for trolling (Cook). Harmless actions, like blowing up your friend’s house in Minecraft, can be fun and games, but the reasons behind the actions determine the issue. If the person is doing it to see the reaction of the other person and the distraught they feel when all their hard work is lost, it could be a sign of something small or maybe nothing at all. Whatever the reason, informing others of how to nip these problems at the bud would be helpful for the possible abuser and victim.

In conclusion, harassment and casual trolling are once again similar. Trolling can appear harmless, yet become more than just a game. For some, it might start as a game and end much worse. With all this in mind, it’s up to us to report findings and take action before things get out of hand again, like GamerGate.

By: Samantha Reeb

Works Cited

Cook, Christine, et al. “Under the Bridge: An in-Depth Examination of Online Trolling in the Gaming Context.” New Media & Society, vol. 20, no. 9, Sept. 2018, pp. 3323–3340, doi:10.1177/1461444817748578.

FemTechNet, femtechnet.org/about/.