The Kind Troll
It seems like the last ten years of the Internet has brought out all of the trolls from their caves.
News articles, music blogs, Youtube videos–all overrun with thoughtless, negativity…The trolls have won the message boards, leaving them meaningless. My general rule in life is to never read the comments section.
Some news organizations have turned to disabling all together. Popular Science did this in 2013, saying “Comments can be bad for science.” Some Youtube stars are boldly disabling them, too.
When comment boards become anarchy, an opportunity is lost. Artists used to write back to their fans. Thoughtful discussions bloomed.
I felt dismayed considering this during the wake of Ferguson, Eric Garner, and the two NYPD officers murdered. How do we combat real negativity when we are surrounded by it in the digital age?
So I’m starting a personal experiment for 2015. I’m calling it #thekindtroll.
Each day I’m going to find one corner of the Internet and write something thoughtful, something positive. It might be a friend’s Facebook page. It might be a stranger’s Youtube cover of a song. It might be a writer’s article.
Seth Godin wrote about the power of committing to a “daily agenda.” I know I can’t beat the trolls, but in the Hobbit, a little sunlight goes a long way.
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