Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimised by Regina George.

Why do people troll?

People often say that sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. 

Well, clearly this isn't the case. I am not saying that sticks and stones can't break your bones - please don't try this at home! - but it seems that names can, and do, hurt people.

I used to work with a friend called Carlos - I am sure he will not mind me naming him - who I would always tease about having world's biggest unibrow. I always did it in a joking way and I never thought that it would hurt his feelings…little did I know, he was found dead in his bedroom a few weeks later, with a note saying, "I killed myself because Steve teased me about my eyebrows."

Get real, guys, he did not kill himself because of me. He didn't even kill himself. He actually got his monobrow cut off by his hair dresser. However, He did say that my jibes drove him to do it. It really upset me at the time because I didn't realise my words would have such an impact on someone's life.

I can't give you advice about online bullies because every situation is different and it is worth speaking up. I never did ask Carlos if my jokes hurt his feelings. I know that I shouldn't joke about its death, but the loss of his monobrow has done some good for his looks. Trust me, he's 99% better looking now.

On a more serious note, internet trolls really can effect the way some people live. Whilst some trolls just message obnoxious abuse such as, "As fun as it is pointing out inequalities of your pathetic campaign I have a real job to get back to,"[1] others post more life-changing statements. For example, MP Stella Creasy received rape threats on her twitter account.[2]

Debates can get out of hand. I've been in some heavy debates with BNP members myself - usually they end up calling me lefty scum because they don't really have a decent answer to the questions that I ask.

Sometimes a name and shame thing can work, but I am sure 9/10 of these internet trolls are hiding behind anonymous accounts. As Ricky Gervais says, "Trolls don't hate you. They hate themselves. They're in pain and you getting upset is like their morphine. Don't administer. Enjoy the screams."[3] So take no notice of online bullies (trolls). They don't know the real you, and they're certainly not worth your valuable time stressing about.


[1] Marsh, S. (2013). Internet trolls target female councillor with Twitter abuse. Available:http://www.theguardian.com/local-government-network/2013/aug/13/trolls-target-councillors-twitter-abuse-social-media. Last accessed 13 August 2013.

[2] Silverman, R. (2013). Man arrested over Twitter abuse of Stella Creasy MP. Available:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10227486/Man-arrested-over-Twitter-abuse-of-Stella-Creasy-MP.html. Last accessed 13 August 2013.

[3] Gervais, R. (2013). @RickyGervais. Available:https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/366848141519106049. Last accessed 13 August 2013.