When the Trolls Come for You
A Writer’s Guide to Staying Sane
Post about Lucy Letby’s innocence and the trolls come running. That was a given. This was especially true as the main social media site driving traffic was X.
However, it is important for writers to avoid letting trolls ruin our lives while maintaining our professional image. Trolls fall into two categories, and both need to be treated differently.
The first group are the abusive idiots who get some kick out of attacking people they have never met. These are the ones who cannot come up with an intelligent argument, so they resort to name-calling and insults. They are easy to deal with. There is a block button for a reason. I don’t engage with them. They do not deserve my time or effort.
Our second group are, in truth, not trolls. These are the ones who disagree with you and want to argue their point. I have no problem with this group. I champion free speech, and if you don’t agree with me, that is fine. Good on you for speaking up.
These people can be dealt with in two ways. You can present your evidence and see how they respond, or you can ignore them entirely. In my Letby post, I did both. Some I replied to, some I ignored. A funny thing happens when you don’t always respond. Sometimes the people who agree with you fight the argument for you. That can lead to discovering new information you didn’t have before.
Bear in mind, that some people will take on board what you say. Others will keep arguing regardless. Then there are those who quickly become abusive when they realise they are wrong. In that case, my first piece of advice stands. Hit block.
The main thing is this: never take any of it personally. Ninety-nine per cent of the people commenting would cross the road to avoid you if they had to speak in person.
Social media makes people brave and stupid.
Be brave enough to tackle the subjects that get people’s blood boiling. Be smart enough to realise that not everyone will share your opinion. Free speech is essential to a functioning society.
Stand your ground. Tell your truth. Let the noise take care of itself.
Until next week, remember:
Read to learn. Read to escape. Read to smile.
Sam 😊
Information is the oxygen of a democracy - Unknown
I resonate with this. Some people don't like to have their illusions destroyed, as that forces them to question their whole reality of existence. It is too much to take in, and comfortable cognitive dissonance takes hold, even in the face of undeniable facts.