Thinking about Trolls and Troll Farms

I have a few commenters here who are clearly trolls. One in particular makes me think of  Saul Alinsky whenever he (I think it's a man.) comments. He uses many of Alinsky's rules for radicals like trying to freeze the target and put him/her on the defensive.

Reading up on professional, paid trolling I wondered if there are paid trolls out there who go after the websites, blogs, social media pages, etc. of orthodox/traditional Catholics.  I have no illusions about the influence of my blog. I generally have 300-400 visitors a day. If something I write strikes a chord, I can get as many as 700-1,000 visitors, but that's rare.

The big question for me is, why would someone who disagrees with me about almost everything I write bother coming to the blog at all, and almost every day? Like a moth that can't stay away from a flame, they seem to hover and strike at every post. 

Not only that, but to engage and waste time writing dissertations often longer than my post is their default position. It makes no sense to me that one commenter leaves book-length blather which almost always contains attacks on my Christianity. Now that is definitely one of Alinsky's rules -- make your "enemy" live up to their own moral values. Of course it's impossible for Catholics to do that, no matter how closely we follow the Lord, which is why we so desperately need the sacrament of Confession.

An interesting article on trolling quotes a TED talk that relates to this:

• Trolls drive content with emotion… everything is about emotion.
• Trolls love to make accusations, especially moral and ethical ones, against people.
• Trolls love drama, and many have sociopathic tendencies, so they do not care if their gossip or posts inflict pain on people and families.

Hmm.... In many respects that describes the trolls who visit here.

So what's going on? There are several possibilities. One is that the troll is acting on his own and has mental health issues. I think one of my trolls falls into that category and I pray for that person regularly. But while others seem deranged, they are obviously smart and well read (or they're using A1 and don't write any of the comments themselves). 

So what is their motivation? Seeking attention? A different point of view? Enjoy being anonymous striking from under a rock like a snake? Keeping people in the virtual world instead of actually living? Is it obsessive compulsive disorder? Or are these folks working for a troll farm? There's apparently big money in it. And in many cases those "Christians" writing on Facebook aren't real Christians at all; the sites are generated by troll farms [Source] Do you feel like you're living in the matrix yet?

But for my blog, troll farming doesn't make any sense to me either. My blog on a good day reaches maybe 500 people. On a super day it may reach a thousand. On most days the number of visitors is 300-400. So why would anyone bother? 

Whatever the reason, I think I will ask myself when I read a comment. Is this a troll? Does the comment attack me or anyone else personally? Does it stick to the subject of the post? Is it a reasonable length? Then I'll decide whether to post it or put it in the spam folder. Discernment is more necessary today than ever!

Trolls are a reality. But we don't need to feed them.