Module 8

What computer abuse would you like to eradicate? How would you do it?

The computer abuse that I want to eradicate is flaming. Since the main objective of the flamers is to bait a person or groups of people to respond violently by posting provocative or controversial messages. Flamers and trolls post hostile, insulting, or derogatory messages that in the end do not attempt to further explain, convince, or at least clarify the point or topic. Basically, flamers and trolls do not respect other people's opinions and believe that they are superior or hold authority over other people in a certain medium or Internet community. Dealing with Flamers and Trolls whether intentional or not, flamers and trolls bait other people to respond with their emotions, so that they can gain the upper hand in the so-called “discussion”. The best way to deal with such people is to take control of your emotions. Emotions can cloud judgment and reasoning, fanning the flames of an Internet flamer, and making the issue bigger. Since flaming is just like getting into a discussion or fight with a friend or spouse where the person with the cooler head wins, or at least solves the problem. With an online counterpart, you want to pour water, cold water that is on the flame, not pour gasoline. If you encounter such offensive statements on your blog, favorite message board, or over a chatting service the following will help:

-         Be tolerant of criticism.

-         Don't be arrogant or proud.

-         Censorship can be bad.

-         Go with the flow.

-         Grab a Foothold.

-         The Failsafe.

The troll or flamer may steal the spotlight for a while, but in the end, it is all about you. If you really care about your credibility and reputation, don't stoop to the level of those people. By effectively managing and getting rid of flamers and trolls. you will be positively viewed by other people. It may not be easy at first, but once you get the hang of dealing with such people, you can easily shrug them off or even laugh at them. It surely won't be the last, and it is safe to say there will be more. Just remember to keep your head above water so you don't end up wasting your time.