Feeding trolls is not helping anyone, yes, trolls are not all evil, though some are. Trolls are often insecure and inadequate, this can be from lack of respect, a lack of confidence, narrow imagination feeding dogmatic fixation on self vs other, this in the end becomes nasty, when attacking people is used to mask this.

Handling trolls effectively requires tactics that don’t feed into the negative:

  • Establish boundaries: Decide what behaviors are unacceptable in our communities. Trolls thrive on boundary pushing, so keep them loose, so people are not tempted to pick them up and hit each other with them. Define unacceptable behaviors without creating rigid rules people could weaponize.
  • Stay non-reactive: Avoid emotional responses; redirect focus to meaningful topics. Trolls feed on attention and reactions, so keep redirecting conversations to keep focus. Avoid emotional responses; redirect focus to meaningful topics.
  • Foster a positive path: Highlight constructive contributions, making it easier for the community to ignore troll behavior in favour of useful/constructive interactions. Highlight constructive posts and ignore disruptive ones.
  • Use humor or neutral responses: Address trolls with light-heartedness or neutral statements, which frustrates the trolls and defuse tension in the wider community, shift the focus away from confrontation as this is ONLY feeding the problem.
  • Empower community self-governance: When trolls feel isolated from the broader group, their impact lessens, they can start to feel left outside. Encourage people to engage and respond to positive contributions, this in the end might help the troll become a part of the community. Support positive contributions to help trolls integrate over time.
  • Focus on the ideas: Redirect conversations back to the ideas, not the person, helping trolls feel heard without letting them derail the discussion. The is hope for everyone, only block when the final line is crossed.

Always focus on inclusiveness, while staying firm on culture, so communities remain open without sacrificing the path they are on.