#chelseaking

[generationalteramemories]

Leo Wood and Chelsea King getting coffee. 

→ Taken by Leo Wood. 

[generationalteramemories]

Chelsea King getting some air.

→ Taken by an enchanted camera.

[marvellousmediamusings-blog]

Culture and conTROLL freaks; An insight into the practice of trolling in an online space.

It has been generally accepted among communities that the internet and social media networks are full of deviant individuals and behaviors. With many platforms offering an opportunity for ultimate anonymity and a perceived lack of consequences the internet as a whole has been synonymous with certain people using the platform to express anti-social, deviant or even violent behaviors is called trolling. This blog post shall discuss what trolling is, who a troll is and, with the use of the case study pertaining to Chelsea King, how trolling can be applied to real world situations.

Online trolling has become a vastly popular topic within internet communities and has attracted a plethora of media attention over the last couple of years, however it remains a topic that is under-researched, with little scholarly attention paid to it (Fichman and Sanfilippo, 2016). This may be attributed to the fact that the term is still in its infancy or simply because the definition for trolling is in a constant state of change and evolvement, with it having never been clearly differentiated from other deviant or negative behaviors and attitudes found online (Fichman and Sanfilippo, 2016). However, for the purpose of this essay we shall define trolling as a repetitive and hugely disruptive set of behaviors that are exhibited on an online platform in order to target a specific individual or group (Fichman and Sanfilippo, 2016). This is performed often with the intention of publicly shaming them, drawing them into an argument or diverting attention away from the original intent of the group (Fichman and Sanfilippo, 2016).

While the act of trolling has been defined, in order to understand the concept as a whole, one should have a thorough understanding of who is classified as a troll (Hardaker, 2010). However, a severe lack of clarity and indeed a large lack of agreement on the term and who can be classified under it, makes it a challenging task (Hardaker, 2010). One explanation that has proven to be both sufficiently detailed and succinct details an internet troll as an individual that operates through an online platform and seeks to provoke others in order to elicit responses that are hostile, naive or corrective in nature (Phillips and Milner, 2017,7). This person can also be a troll by reacting in a primarily emotional manner in order to elicit response or stimulate action from supporters (Phillips and Milner, 2017).

While Social Media platforms are widely accepted as having a global reach and an audience pool that increases exponentially it is no surprise that it has offered individuals with positive opportunities in which individuals can share and communicate, traversing boundaries connecting with others in a way that has previously not been possible (Barlow and Awan, 2016). Indeed, with the internet offering instantaneous communication as well as the compression of time and space there is a significant increase in the speed of communicative processes and a reduction in cultural latency (Stein, 2016). However, taking into consideration the instantaneous and far reaching effect of the internet it can also act as a double-edged sword (Barlow and Awan, 2016). By fashioning a cybernetic universe for individuals who employ hate speech as a means to directly target others while simultaneously maintaining their anonymity (Barlow and Awan, 2016). Thus, users often are found to exhibit behaviour and express opinions online that they would not normally be able to demonstrate in a real-world example without incurring significant consequence (Stein, 2016).

I, myself, have found that the internet often provides one with a false sense of security, I often am under the assumption that other individuals do not know my real identity and therefore my responses can often be different in comparison to if I was responding in person. I am traditionally more daring and more likely to disagree with someone online than in person. This is due to the fact that despite how heated the confrontation may get I am still relatively removed from the situation and can choose to withdraw entirely whenever I see fit.

Psychologists have applied the term ‘online disinhibition effect’ to this notion, in which aspects such as online anonymity, a perceived idea of invisibility, a lack of recognisable authority and the fact that the majority of communication is not happening in real time, serves to degrade the attitudes, established rules of etiquette and accepted cultural practices that many millennia has spent enforcing (Stein, 2016).Indeed, online trolling usually occurs in an asynchronous manner, when the individual responsible for the slander or inappropriate content does not communicate with the victim concurrently (Stein, 2016). This is due to the fact that it is easier to bait the victim with a form of provocation and then leave the scene temporarily (Stein, 2016).

Trolling and the severity of the behaviour can differ depending on specific circumstance, indeed in 2010 trolling reached a new height on the social media platform, Facebook and a new and particularly virulent form of subcultural trolling began to take over (Phillips and Milner, 2017). Unlike other social networking sites such as 4Chan – whose anonymous interactions didn’t extend beyond a particular coordinated attack against a chosen target – trolling on Facebook allowed for the creation of a of a relatively stable and antisocial network in which trolls were able to form close-knit groups to target a whole host of on-site causes, public personalities and affinity groups (Phillips and Milner, 2017).

Arguably one of the most outrageous of these behaviors occurred on what Facebook called the “memorial pages” (Phillips, 2017,8). These pages which are sometimes referred to as RIP pages offer an opportunity to friends, fans and family of the deceased to find comfort in the sense of community, post messages of condolence, keep an open line of communication with other users and to be witness to any site updates or group announcements (Phillips, 2017). Although it is a requirement of the site for people who want to contribute to be members of the page, the condolence pages are usually accessible to all. Hence making them ostensibly private but effectively representative of a very open and public space (Phillips, 2017). Consequently, the tone and at times the coherency of the comments posted vary greatly (Phillips, 2017).

With the death of a family member often being a disturbing and traumatic event in one’s life, many people find comfort in the support and love that is shown on social media networks. Facebook, in my personal case, was abuzz with messages of condolences and I was flooded for days after with memorial pictures of my lost loved one. Indeed, it was a haven of good memories, past photographs of the family and an overwhelming amount of support and love from friends and family all over the globe. However, this is not always the case and Facebook memorial pages can often turn into a platform in which hate is spewed. This is demonstrated clearly through the case of Chelsea King.

Chelsea King was often described by those who knew her as a golden girl of sorts, attractive, intelligent and well-liked by all who knew her (Phillips, 2017). When Chelsea was first reported missing after she failed to return home from a run on the 27th February 2010, everyone assumed the worst (Phillips, 2017). Their worst fears were confirmed when on the 1st of March John Gardener was taken into custody and charged with the rape and murder of two girls, one of them being Chelsea King (Phillips, 2017). Her body was found dumped in a make-shift grave days later (Phillips, 2017). On the internet, concerned individuals and well-wishers who were based all over the world had begun using Facebook as a network platform to express their sympathy, follow the case and cheerlead the search effort (Phillips, 2017). Pages like “Help Find Chelsea King” initially had a following of 80,000 people, however, after she was found dead that number skyrocketed with tens of thousands of group members joining and almost instantaneously the “Help Find Chelsea King” pages gave way to the memorial pages in honour of the dead teen (Phillips, 2017). The majority of the users had never met Chelsea, however they felt inextricably connected to the case and involved with the narrative that surrounded it (Phillips, 2017). This resulted in a number of negative comments as well as a slew of inappropriate remarks that were often sexual in nature (Phillips, 2017). Indeed, one user asked if there were any nude photographs of Chelsea while another used the platform to threaten another user defending the memory of Chelsea with the rape of her mother and sister (Phillips, 2017). Another user who went by the username “Francis Bagadonuts” posted the Google image of a user’s house who disagreed with him on a thread pertaining to Chelsea’s page (Phillips, 2017).

The situation escalated when a troll by the name of Mike McMullen launched a page with the title “I bet this pickle can get more likes than Chelsea King” (Karpi, 2017). Using a picture of a frowning cartoon pickle dressed in underwear and holding an obviously Photo-shopped cut-out of Chelsea’s head (Karpi, 2017). The massive reaction to the page was instantaneous and it was flooded with offensive images, statements and opinions as well as a large body of users who liked the page in order to defend the memory of Chelsea King (Karpi, 2017). Indeed, the page received so much attention that a reporter belonging to ABC went to interview McMullen who demonstrated an entirely apathetic attitude to the entire situation and the reprehensible things his platform has resulted in (Karpi, 2017). As mortified as the ABC audiences were at the story unfolding, the majority of the comments left on the Pickle page were too horrendous and explicit for Prime-Time audiences and thus were left out of the segment (Phillips, 2017). Furthermore, the segment failed to acknowledge in any way that the story was actually the tip of a far deeper and more serious problem, one that extended far beyond a single fan page (Phillips, 2017). In contrast to the belief that the pickle page was an horrendous yet isolated incident it represented the beginning of what eventually became known as RIP trolling (Phillips, 2017).

The above example is a horrifying testament to the damage that can be inflicted by an internet troll and the fact that it is such an accepted piece of social media today proves greatly concerning to many individuals, me included. I find it a disturbing notion that at any given time there will be someone within my social circles that are being either targeted directly or having their opinions lamented or slammed by others. Indeed, I myself have been a direct target of online Trolling. Belonging to the popular social media forum, Reddit. One automatically is cautious of what one comments or posts. Although usernames are anonymous and there is no information directly pertaining to my actual identity there is no shortage of people who are willing to pick apart the profile of those who dare share their personal information, experiences, opinions or accomplishments on the forum.

In my opinion, while Reddit is a social media site that is known for harboring a slew of internet trolls, it is not all negative, indeed many of the subreddits offer motivation , support and inspiration.r/loseit was one such community in which people who were looking to lead healthier lifestyles and lose weight could be given advice, be encouraged when lacking motivation and share progress pictures in order to achieve a common goal of being both happier and healthier. I had belonged to this community for a year and found it a great source of inspiration and motivation as it was full of like-minded individuals. However, the subreddit was not completely devoid of trolls. On one occasion, having lost a significant amount of weight, a progress picture was uploaded with an emoticon of a sun hiding my face on both photographs to protect my identity- the thought process was that I wanted to share my victories with others but not have a permanent reminder of it uploaded onto the internet. However, this small action seemed to be the catalyst for a slew of insults and jokes pertaining to the necessity of having to hide my face. One user insinuated that while I could do everything to change my physique there was nothing I could do to change my face. While another made lewd sexual comments. The more ferocious the comment the more attention it seemed to garner and the more upvotes it received proving that it was most probably said to generate a reaction either from me or other Reddit members. They certainly achieved the intended as the comments deviated so far from the original picture and contained so many instances of trolling it was eventually locked by a moderator of the post.

Internet trolling has fast become one of the most popular and fastest spreading piece of jargon in the 21st century. Indeed, the practice of trolling has become so pervasive and normalised within society it is often barely noticed as being unusual. Instead it is accepted as being a part of belonging to social media and other online networking platforms. Trolls and the practice of trolling occurs on a daily basis and is often performed by those who hide behind the anonymity the internet affords them- with usernames, fake profiles and ways to shield their true identity it becomes the perfect environment in which trolling can occur with the possibility of consequence being very slim. Trolling can often be extremely deviant, this was highlighted through the case study of Chelsea King whose death triggered the beginning of what was to become known as the Facebook memorial pages and through my own personal experiences. Thus this blog post has discussed what trolling is, who a troll is and how it is applied in a real-world situations.

 Biblography

abc News 2010. Chelsea Kings body found. Video. Retrieved 1 November,2017 from the World Wide Wed; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcLmmiY0VM4.

Barlow, C. and Awan, I. 2016. You Need to Be Sorted Out with a Knife: The Attempted Online Silencing of Women and People of Muslim Faith Within Academia. Social Media + Society,2-4.

Fichman, P. and Sanfilippo, M. 2016. Online trolling and its Perpetrators: Under the Cyber Bridge. London: Rowman and Littlefield,9-16.

Hardaker, C. 2010. Trolling in asynchronous computer-mediated communication: From user discussions to academic definitions. Journal of Politeness Research. Language, Behaviour, Culture,1-29.

Karpi, T. 2017. Change name to no-one, Like peoples statuses, Facebook Trolling and managing peoples online Personas. The Fiber Culture Journal. Online, retrieved 29 October,2017 from the World Wide Web:http://twentytwo.fibreculturejournal.org/fcj-166-change-name-to-no-one-like-peoples-status-facebook-trolling-and-managing-online-personas/.

Phillips, W. 2017. LOLing at Tragedy; Facebook trolls, memorial pages and Resistance to grief online. First Monday. Online. Retrieved 29 October,2017 from the World Wide Web: http://firstmonday.org/article/view/3168/3115.

Phillips, W. and Milner, R. 2017. The Ambivalent Internet:Mischief, Oddity, and Antagonism Online. New York: John Wiley and Sons,6-10. 

[lucycakedesign]

#finishline selfie with the fam at #finishchelseasrun so proud of our kiddos' first #5k honoring #chelseaking and #amberdubois #sandiegolife

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