Troll by Shane Koyczan -

[DeckardBane]

This is a poem by Shane Koyczan, talking about "trolls":

I'm trying to figure out how I feel about this poem. What do you guys think of it?

 

[Le Bateleur]

It's a decent poem, from a technical perspective. I like the animation style, too.

Problem is, it's not actually about trolling. The news media have taken "troll" massively out of context for years. People that tweet "die, bitch" at celebrities get called trolls, but they aren't trolling. They're being obnoxious or threatening. Not trolling.

"Troll" in the internet sense is actually a verb, not a noun, and it was originally a fishing term describing a technique to catch fish.

Trolling online means setting bait to catch other users, usually for the lulz. Yes, some trolling can have a serious emotional impact on the victim, but usually it's on a similar level to "pull my finger" or being sent to buy stripey paint.

In fact, trolling is just an extension of the ribbing and practical jokes that have gone on since Antiquity. Sending unwanted food and tradesmen to someone's house went on in Victorian London.

What the poem OP linked to describes is actually online harassment. I don't like the term "cyberbullying", but it's more accurate than "trolling" for what the poem depicts.