DailyPost 2389
INDIA TROLLED!
Does trolling depict a new culture, mode of expression, system of collaboration, method of reacting, formulating a narrative, running vested interest amok, lack of civilized behaviour and finally my way or the highway? Is it the creation of the social media? Or has been at the subliminal level all the while and it found a solid expression through the social media? Do Indians express differently in person and in spaces where anonymity is provided or some form of immunity is engulfing them. Whatever might be the reasons, one thing is for sure that it helps descent a civilization, language and culture into morass, coming out of which would become next to impossible. Have we already descended into such a state? It can be debated, but if that is so, then India breathes and lives in a state of troll. It is certainly not a nice state to be in. What is troll in simple language? It is when someone posts or comments deliberately to upset others. The harsh fact is that it is in the public domain and as it progresses, it tends to create a spiral, which keeps closing on the* victims mental state, throwing him into a disequilibrium.* The material is offensive, it can be pun, sarcasm, humour, it can be anything below the belt or outright abusive.
”Most people troll others for revenge, for attention seeking, for boredom, and for personal amusement.” As long as it remains one to one it can dealt both in a variety from simple counselling to peer pressure or in worst of the cases by legal action. This nature of individual trolling has led to serious negative repercussions, from defaming to making normal life impossible in a variety of ways. But this is not what worries a society, as it can be taken as societal aberration and is accordingly dealt with. What is of concern when it takes the form of an organised activity. People get professionally engaged to troll a person, incident or an organisation primarily as a smear campaign. Organised troll is what we understand by troll in public domain parlance as it has become commonplace. It is being officially organized by organizations, even on a paid basis and they can to go any extent to decimate the person or the organisation. At times it gives a feel of mafia, at others, it feels like an act of terror and at various times it gives a feeling of any number of lone wolves coming together instantaneously, to create one of its kind outrages. The expressions and the intentions behind it can attract any number of criminal provisions of law but it goes on unabated if it beyond the purview of law. Some vested actions of prosecution do happen, more often where it is not warranted. Where to we go from here?
TROLLING AND DEMOCRATIC TRADITIONS DO NOT GO TOGETHER.
Sanjay Sahay