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ONLINE TROLLING: EVER BEEN A VICTIM?



WHAT IS A TROLL?

 According to www.wikipedia.org, a troll is a class of being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. They were described as beings that dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human beings.

In Scandinavian folklore, trolls became beings in their own right, where they live far from human habitation and were  dangerous to human beings. Trolls are generally thought to be really ugly and slow-witted. 
MODERN DAY INTERNET TROLLS
Who is referred to as a troll in today’s world, especially where the internet and social media are involved? According to Cambridge dictionary, a TROLL is “someone who leaves an intentionally annoying or offensive message on the internet, in order to upset someone or to get attention or cause trouble”.





This has been a sort of trend in Nigeria whereby people hide behind their keypads, type out nasty comments and messages to other people, especially celebrities who have become easy targets for these online trolls. They are able to say things they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to say if they were to stand face to face with their “victim”. 
WHY DO PEOPLE BECOME ONLINE TROLLS?
In the case with Nigeria, a big chunk of the country’s population is jobless and frustrated. Sometimes these trolls go on social media pages of celebrities and immediately feel jealousy and hatred that these people are seemingly happy, unbothered and living out their dreams while they themselves have nothing going for them. They develop an evil desire to hurt the other person so that they can bring them back to earth, from the “cloud” where their head is. And they proceed to type out a nasty comment or a message to their victim. Then they feel SATISFIED because they feel they have reminded you that you are human and can feel pain and sadness from reading their message. Well since they don’t have the good things their victim has, at least they have their phones to inflict pain. 
For someone to derive immense joy and satisfaction from sending out nasty and evil messages to someone who may or may not know them and who doesn’t even care about them, is another depth of mental depravity. It’s a symptom of mental illness. It is better to use the time invested in traveling from one celebrity’s (or non-celebrity’s) page to another like a marauding beast exhibiting your trolling skills, for something positive like working on yourself, your state of mind, business and whatever needs to be worked on. People are living their lives and you are WATCHING THEM LIVE THEIR LIVES. Basically, a TROLL is a FAN!
If you have ever been a troll or are a troll or even plan to be a troll in future, you need to put your right hand on your chest right now, confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness. Listen, if you have actually sent a nasty, hateful, body shaming, marriage shaming, age shaming, wealth shaming or any other type of trolling comments or messages to someone else (it matters not whether they’re a celebrity or not), Seriously, you do need help!

Photo credit: www.google.com

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