When is it trolling, and when is it cyberbullying?


C-y-n-d-i's avatar
I'm trying to start a discussion on this because as a whole there seems to be a disagreement on which is which. I see the term "cyberbully" thrown around almost as much as "troll" nowadays.

Yes, I'm aware there are people who think getting a negative critique equals being trolled or cyberbullied. I'm not talking about them, though.

So I'm asking everyone: what's YOUR opinion?

When is it trolling?

When is it cyberbullying?
Comments63
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DRAGONSEEKER789's avatar
Really, they are one and the same, just called by a different name. Both have decrees of maliciousness, both are done deliberately to cause someone harm. The fact that the troll doesn't know the other person, means that they can be as nasty and vitriolic as they can be.

In real life, they would never go up to a stranger and tell them to die, and even more worrying I think, is that the trolls aren't incessantly from the targets age group, they're adults!    What kind of adult is going to tell a vulnerable child to kill themselves?

The police should trace them and charge them. I'm not sure if it could be classed as stalking? But what they say is malicious and they should be prosecuted! That would stop them! Big fine. No access to the Net and 6 months in prison.
Koushoku-jin's avatar
Trolling is like one going to a discussion, and disrupting an issue to get attention -- then comes and goes ( like that one about being anti-westerners as cosplayers... :snicker: )

Cyberbullying is further than that -- apart from commenting, the individual goes to the point of being there physically, being constant, and doing more than needed ( to a point it becomes obsessive stalking )
MonyYoshi1's avatar

Trolling is more like teasing, not attacking them. It's like when you have a sibling or a friend and they have a crush so you tease them. It's not bullying because you're not being mean or attacking them, you're just trying to irritate or embarrass them.

 

Sorry if this is kinda short but I'm a little bit brain dead right now

sanjouin-dacapo's avatar
Trolling is posting just to get a person mad, and at times to make a really nasty or rude person cry and leave the internet. Bullying is relentlessly picking on someone for a minor flaw and possibly driving that person to depression and contemplating or even committing suicide. I was bullied at school a lot, and sometimes I was actually thinking of killing myself.
harperyo's avatar
As I said in a previous thread:


Troll:
A person who posts to a forum or other form of online communication to disrupt or cause widespread argument.

Cyberbully:
To cyberbully is to tease, make fun of, or insult a person on the internet. Basically acting like a tough guy or a bully on the internet. 

Trolls annoy a large group of people at the same time, without knowing them personally. A cyberbully picks on a single person at a time, mostly because they know the person is sensitive and will come crying on the forums instead of doing something about it.
dVusMind's avatar
It's trolling if they disagree with my views and cyber-bullying if they have facts to back it up. :aww:
deVere's avatar
I think, a troll usually just wants to be a pain in the ass, and gets a pleasure out of "being in the way". 
A cyperbully has more vicious/malicious intents and gets personal, by intimidation etc.
Nicolettethestrange's avatar
In the real world it's people who are physically stronger that prey on those who are physically weaker, dominant personalities prey on submissive personalities and those who are emotionally strong who prey on those who are emotionally weak. You see it happen in relationships, with children and teenagers amongst their peers and even in the work place. 

Online we have a reverse situation of what happens in the real world. Online you're free to express yourself as you desire so long as it keeps within a certain guide line of rules to the social website you're affiliated with. It's still easy for others to bend the rules online and trolls usually do just that. They are harmless in the sense that they'll bark but they won't bite. They'll dance around and up close to the line, they're the ones that frequent forum threads that they don't like (for example) and post in it for attention and won't agree and write condescending replies to the OP just to ruffle some feathers. But they'll do it in a way that seems incredibly valid or harmless and they're smart enough not to cross the boundary so they can do that same dance the next day. 

Cyber bullies are people who cross the boundary by attacking another persons opinion and then learning of the other persons identity to use it against them. They attack that person directly for who they are and what they believe in. Cyber bullies are those who are relentless and go to great lengths to harass someone. It almost always stems from a disagreement but usually becomes discrimination or racism.
Kirokami's avatar

Trolling is much more common..and is mostly when a person just wants to start an argument, or just annoy people for their own amusement..

On the other hand, cyberbullying is a much more serious problem..it is pretty much what it is called, bad harassment online.

Antarasol's avatar
Trolls are striking randomly, where they see a chance. Bullies pick on certain people. That's how I'd make the distinction.
Mihaihen's avatar
They are both drama for people with no real problems in their lives so they treat this shit like problems. If you believe trolling or cyberbullying is serious you are an autistic fuck \o/
Darkenlite's avatar
There really isn't much of difference. Both negative. I think its just the use of terminology.  I could be wrong but then I disagree with others' terms of this.
KillerConfettiLick's avatar
I think when there's intent to hurt someones feelings it's bullying.
And if their feelings are hurt- it's bullying if you don't stop and apologize.

Bullying is defined more by the reaction of the victim than the actions of the perpetrator.
 :)
zbugni's avatar
Trolling is posting intentionally inflammatory content to get reactions, and preying off of people who don't understand the situation.
Cyberbullying involves relentless personal attacks on a person.
siantjudas's avatar
I think cyberbullying as a real thing is actually exceedingly rare, but many things that are not, are mislabeled as such by people who don't use common sense and don't realize that their sense of entitlement being stepped on is not cyberbullying. For me, cyberbullying as a term should not really exist, since behaviors that would classify something as cyberbullying would cross over into other malicious behavior sets, and as such can not exist explicitly on its own.

Because no one forces you to post your information online, no one forces you to have an online presence, and you can simply turn off your device, I find it really hard to sympathize with most people that cry cyberbully. If you turn off your screen, the only way people can hurt you is in person, which makes it just normal bullying. This is another reason I believe that the concept of stand alone cyberbullying technically does not exist. Because it requires the individual to willingly continue to place themselves in that situation. This is not bullying.
fireweed15's avatar
Trolling is when you're being an asshat just to get a rise out of people.

Cyberbullying is when you're being a complete asshole to a specific person.
AKZeal's avatar
For my money, trolling -is- cyber-bullying. If you would call it bullying in meat-space, why is it different in cyber-space?
metalhartrockandroll's avatar
It's cyberbulling when someone wants to be a victim. 

If you don't like the internet, turn off your computer. 

If you get on the internet you have to accept that it's full of everyone. If a kid gets on the 'net and doesn't like how he's treated, that's the same as if a kid goes to a bar and everyone gives him a hard time.

If you feel like you've been bullied you simply don't belong on the internet. 
Mercury-Crowe's avatar
Well, first off, this whole 'cyber bully' thing really irritates me, and I think people throw the term around way to much. Honestly, in 99.9% of cases I believe are people overreacting and taking things way to seriously, when they can simply ignore the person.

I firmly believe that people are no longer teaching children to deal with stuff they don't like. People are jerks, they say mean things.

I'd say it crosses over into bullying territory when it goes past hurling insults, when the person starts to do things like hack/create social network pages in that persons name for the purpose of personal attacks that will affect actual real life, not the perception of someone on an online forum, AND that these efforts persist after the victim has taken appropriate action (Note: this does not include whining online).

'Trolling' (which comes from the fishing term, by the way) is throwing stuff out there and seeing who bites, basically instigating things for kicks. Trolling usually isn't personal, and even though the intent is to be mischievous it's generally not actually malicious and probably not meant personally.
neurotype-on-discord's avatar
Cyberbullying is offline and online, as far as the court decisions I've seen. Maybe they don't say anything to you in person, but it's people who know you personally and are harassing you (or vice versa, they take it offline).

Trolls don't give no fucks about your identity. U:
OMG-ImSoAwesome's avatar
Trolling is some lame past time activity for a person with too much time of their hands.

Cyberbullying is more serious.
manic-cure's avatar
I can't help it notice that everyone thats responded has pretty much the same answer and I agree. Cyberbullying is more personal whether you know the person or not. I recall two deviants, one of which is banned and one that is a former forum regular and I had seen pop in here every now and then. From what I remember is that the banned deviant trolled around, the forumertook him on and pretty much "owned" the troll. Well the troll didnt take it too lightly and was as well a hacker and stole the forumers identity (I think it was) words were exhcanged and the forumer pressed charges and the troll was sent to a juvinile hall I think.

this happened almost 8 years ago so my memory of the story is a bit rusty, but moral of the story was the cyberbullying began when it became personal from the troll.
bubblymaika's avatar
Cyberbullies are far more persistent. They will do whatever it takes to harass that one specific person, evading blocks, bans, anything. They tend to be more hostile too and are less likely to move to a different target. A troll will often move on and bother someone else if the person they're buggin no longer responds (either by block or simply ignoring them). Trolls tend to be more mocking rather than aggressive.

Not sure if that made sense or not :P