Trolling

I've learned recently about trolling and other not-nice Internet techniques. When I first started reading, the first thing that came to my mind was a story my grandfather told us when we were kids. Reading about Internet trolls, I came to the conclusion that they are similar in nature to the troll under the bridge: All they want to do is cause trouble for others. I also thought that the best way to beat the troll is to be a better person than he or she is.

I don't hold well with people who try to belittle others, especially for their own amusement. Isn't there enough of that in the world? I think we need to be better than that. A better person lifts and helps others, they don't belittle and demean them.

Sometimes, it's best just to ignore an Internet troll. I think that if you ignore a troll for long enough, eventually they will get bored and move on to other things. In the meantime, the only defense we have against trolls is to be a better person. I have found that helping others to be happy is what helps me to be happy.

So how does one 'be the better person' in regards to Internet trolls? Well, that's where it gets tricky. If you ignore them, they just might continue trolling other people. On the other hand, if you respond to them, you fall into their trap and you've been trolled. My only advice is to use your best judgment, respond when you feel it necessary, but don't go overboard.

Memes

So the past couple of sessions of my Edtech class this semester have been about memes. At the end of our discussions I have a better understanding of what they are and why we use them. I even know how to pronounce it correctly now (I was somewhat ignorant about memes beforehand). One idea about memes that I enjoyed is that memes are 'really deep, or really really obvious'. Most memes take the form of a humor shot (Grumpy Cat, for example). Now I know why memes can be fun (also annoying, at times) to read and create. So if you start seeing a bunch of memes from me on the internet, now you know why (maybe).