Ahhh....the internet. It's kind of a magical place because of the sheer amount of emotions that it can inspire. It can bring up the awkwardness of having friends ask you to help them fill out their online dating profiles (which, I'm happy to do, but I'm going to be honest and you might not want to let everyone on the internet know just how much you like tea because apparently that's not sexy enough nowadays-- also, do you like long walks on the beach? Do you really like "staying up to date on the news"? Do you? Really? No seriously, really? Because what I really want to write about is why I love you as a friend, and that includes how impressed I am by your collection of Terry Pratchett books). It can bring the excitement of finding that perfect tee that asks you to "Ask about my zombie disguise". It can bring hope, like when I lurk in the archives of Humans of New York. It's helped me find a job, it's taught me how to paint my house without getting paint on the inside of my shirt (true story) and I've used it to fact-check pretty much everything (no, seriously like everything, from financial regulation status to how old Catherine Zeta Jones is to the drinking age in India) so it has arguably made me smarter.
No, but really the internet would not be complete without people trolling. If I were to define it, trolling is basically just being an ass on the internet. Wikipedia (see what I did there?) defines it as,
"In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a forum, chat room, or blog), either accidentally[3][4] or with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[5] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion"And I have seen some damn-fine examples of trolling this week.
First up, an innocent Bloombergian who argues that school-sponsored loans might be a good option for students.Which, honestly, is not that crazy of an idea, but does kind of miss the point about how not all schools are created equal, this still doesn't fix the underlying problem of why higher education is increasingly economically discriminatory and how the types of things students are learning at these "prestigious" schools aren't really preparing them for the job market. So then of course, people speared the guy. Digitally.
Second of all, and this is probably kind of niche because I really like reading SeekingAlpha though I know most people don't even know what that is probably, I read this awesome opinion analysis titled "Kill the Microsoft Tablet". In which, the author summarized his argument by saying, "1.) The Apple iPad sets the pace for the tablet market, 2.) Releasing office for iPad literally renders the Surface obsolete and 3.) Microsoft may unlock shareholder value after killing the Surface tablet line". Okay, I am an Apple fan, so I understand where this guy is coming from. I'm not saying he's wrong, but it could be a dramatic oversimplification. But his dedication to his Apple products (which I strongly support) and his disregard for other benefits of using a Surface tablet is... awesome.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the power of social media (and how it can even lead some people to getting fired for remarks they thought were private) and the effect that the internet has had on the communication styles between (not of) people nowadays, but I think the advent of "trolling" and the sheer popularity of it cannot be undermined. The internet is truly turning into not only a channel of communication, but a type of communication all in itself. It says something when you decide to broadcast your feelings on the internet through articles or, hell, even blog posts-- it implies a lot when you slam someone through social media and the repercussions are probably much farther-reaching than we can even imagine. As someone who currently works in a small startup, I don't think it's crazy to say that, now more than ever, it almost depends more on how you say things than what you're saying. Particularly when working with younger people, who are used to multi-channeling all the time, there's a lot to be considered before pressing "Send". Do you want the nonchalant implications of a text? The presence that comes with a phone call? Do you want to convey the BAU-ness of an email? Or do you want to whip out the big guns and do it in person? IRL is still the preferable method because of the relationship ties that can be built but too much of that and (particularly younger) workers I've noticed get burnt out-- they don't quite know what to do in an in-person meeting, unsure of quite how to behave or if it's proper (from an etiquette perspective) to multi-task while you're talking (as they would be if you were having this conversation over email). So use it wisely. Don't be an IRL troll.
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