The subject of trolling isn't novel one; it's been with us since the advent of the internet, but most especially since the breakthrough of the message board. As of the late ‘90s, early 2000s, webmasters and companies realized the added earning potential in creating interactive communities on their pages. In addition to having current articles, photos and videos, message boards not only increased traffic but gave guests a reason to stay on the page longer. Advertisers got much more ROI (return on investment) and guests to the page were able to become part of a community, as well as network with others.
The most fam
ous… or infamous board of all (depending on who you're talking to) was Bodybuilding.com's Misc. This section has seen it all, with the threads talking about ex-girlfriends, alleged steroid cycles, and even a live suicide. The Misc ran the gamut and for a long time it was the biggest gathering place of bodybuilding fans on the whole of the net. It was on this thread that Broscience was born – a whole new industry lingo that's now mass-marketed and making millions.
Terms like "u mad?," "u jelly," and "umirin" are now commonly used in conversation at gym and locker rooms throughout the country. The term "epic fail" is used by soccer moms and gymrats alike! YouTube comedians with millions of subscribers, who have never even walked into a gym, do skits written around the phrase "you even lift bro?" The Broscience culture continues to grow by leaps and bounds and message boards continue to offer the same benefits they did from their inception.
But a good message board is only as good as its operation is. Censorship is always a touchy subject. Members want total freedom and mods tug on that freedom in order to ensure a successful operation. Moderators also run the gamut, from mindless twits on a power trip to sensible, fair, and pragmatic individuals that just want to maintain some semblance of order.
Spam is a forum killer. You can always tell a neglected board from a well-kept one based on the amount of spam found on its threads. Spam can come in the form of ads (not from sponsors), reposts of old news marked as new, or irrelevant content. Trolls are notorious for spam, but before we go any further, we need some kind of a definition for what a troll is.
Wikipedia defines a troll as "a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages..." Yeah, that definition is kind of boring. I asked my friend, Marc Lobliner to give his definition. I think you'll find his take a lot more telling.
"A troll is someone who is unhappy with their own life and it makes them feel like less of a loser when they insult or enrage someone who is actually accomplishing something in life.
They have plenty of time on their hands due to their lack of money-earning skills and ability to procure pussy so they "troll" the internet looking for alpha males or females to pester. Once you bite their line, they get a feeling of power and accomplishment akin to busting a nut… and they probably do bust a nut since they are also most-likely sexual deviants with mommy-fantasies."
This is a perfect definition. Most trolls spend their entire day logged on to a message board, constantly scanning the threads (namely those they started or commented on); they get so happy to get "reps" and become enraged when they receive "negs." Their whole existence is that board and they feel as if they hold the keys to the kingdom. King Kamali is perhaps the most
trolled bodybuilder in the history of the sport, but even at the height of the abuse, he continued getting Top 5 placings and expanding his fan base around the world. Other champions who were trolled included Shawn Ray (one of the most photographed legends in the history of the sport) and Rich Piana (one of the most popular fitness celebrities today). As with my friend Marc, some trolls have even taken to making threats against him and his family – some of the lowest, most despicable behavior you could imagine. And how many actually address these guys in public? None.
A Troll is really nothing more than a hater, a heckler, a person whose existence wouldn't merit so much as a blurb in a free community newspaper. But the fact they're able to create an alter ego and speak to a [captive] audience, this gives them a real reason to wake up in the morning. Take Ric Drasin for example, he was Arnold's training partner in the ‘70s; a celebrated professional wrestler, bodybuilder, actor, artist, and entrepreneur. Ric designed the original logos for Gold's Gym and World Gym. He also is responsible for several uber successful online TV shows like Ric's Corner, AfterBuzz TV, and Tuff and Tender with his beautiful girlfriend, Inna Tuler. Ric offers the people so much – and for free! But his account on YouTube is constantly attacked by trolls, haters, and hecklers.
When I asked him how he deals with this, Ric had the following to say, "I usually delete them or ban them from my channel.. I used to engage and tell them off… many times I received an apology but haven't time to put up with it so just delete them."
And that's precisely what the trolls don't want. These are people that spend ungodly amounts of time creating a popular, somewhat respected online persona so that they can then turn around and destroy real people. It's empowering to them to be able to wreak havoc. It's their only claim to fame. Once you ban them, they have to start all over again, and typically they're gone forever.
In Ric's case or in my c
ase or Marc's, as far as YouTube goes, the owner of the channel can delete trolls and spam, but what you do when you're on a message board? How much trolling is allowed is entirely up to the moderators. If the troll(s) are in good with mods, your nightmare will never end. And in some cases, other trolls will join in the havoc. I've often heard the comparison of a troll to an everyday bully, and while there's some truth to it, a troll is typically an online tough guy (or keyboard warrior). Whereas a bully may want your lunch money, some trolls might be doing it for sexual gratification (as referenced by Marc). Whatever their motive, they seek to harass anyone who produces anything positive - a writer, an athlete, or simply just a good person doing right by the fitness industry.
Unfortunately, trolls are part of the otherwise awesome online experience. On message boards, mods may or may not help you – you just have to deal with it. If you know a person who is being trolled, please give them a link to this article - might be nice to know, they're not alone.
