Thanks to Dr Jennifer Goldbeck, a US computer scientist, we can now establish what makes an internet troll and how to become one. Why? Because who doesn’t want that?
With social media growing by the second, there is no better time than the present to use your small but mighty platform to make someone else’s day marginally unpleasant.
Goldbeck states trolls will lie, exaggerate and offend, so who better to learn from than the master of all trolling, the man with the ability to cause uproar within a 140 character limit? Introducing President Donald Trump and his weapon of choice, Twitter.
What is one of the world’s most powerful men to do when feeling slightly peeved? Tweet of course. Twitter holds over 330 million active users a month, making it a social networking phenomena where platforms are used globally to not only educate and influence for the greater good, but also allowing every man, woman and their dog to form opinions and troll.
If you can feel your inner troll bursting to slap its fingers on the keyboard then here is a 3 step guide inspired by the man himself so that you too can troll like Trump.
Step 1: The sky’s the limit
One rule Trump evidently trolls by is that nothing is off limits; if you can spell it you can troll it. Miss Universe, friends, ex-wives, world leaders who have access to weapons of mass destruction? All worthy. Whether you’re a fan or not, there is no denying Trump’s impeccable directness and somewhat courage in naming and shaming those who have disgraced him, even if it is from behind the screen of a handheld device.
Step 2: Be creative
Trump’s trolling techniques are nothing short of creative. With his imaginative use of punctuation and grammar along with punchy nicknames (Crooked Hilary Clinton clearly had no chance), Trump demonstrates that the norms of conversing and the English language as we know it today is of absolutely no importance. If it feels right then it is right, regardless as to whether it can be found in the dictionary. Covfefe anyone?
Step 3: Make you great again
That leads us on to our 3rd and final point, repeat after me, you are right – you are great! Twitter was designed for those from all walks of life to connect and communicate. However in this conversation all you need to worry about is the number 1 contender, you. Trump is so generous with giving out his thoughts and feelings but takes absolutely no notice of other people’s responses; this is a one way conversation with the world. If you do seem to stumble across another fellow troller who has left a remark that stings a little, call it out for what it is. FAKE. Fake news is there to lure trolls in and even the President finds himself within its realm, choose your twitter feuds wisely.
For more inspiration head over to @realDonaldTrump. Good luck and happy trolling!
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