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|colspan="3"|<hr/>A [[Twitter]] troll flip flops 180 degrees in 38 minutes after mindlessly trashing [[Republican]]s, February                                        4, 2023.<ref>[https://youtu.be/xV_oB645ySM Twitter Explained In Just One Picture], Romanian TVee, February 5, 2023.</ref>

|colspan="3"|<hr/>A [[Twitter]] troll flip flops 180 degrees in 38 minutes after mindlessly trashing [[Republican]]s, February                                        4, 2023.<ref>[https://youtu.be/xV_oB645ySM Twitter Explained In Just One Picture], Romanian TVee, February 5, 2023.</ref>

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The term '''internet troll''' refers to someone who acts in a way to disrupt or disparage others, often to attract attention to the troll. As a verb, it means commenting in an unproductive way to spark a reaction. Trolls are commonplace on any website open for comment by the public, and studies have even been done about how unhappy trolls are themselves. Trolling can also be online bullying, or cyberbullying.  

The term '''internet troll''' refers to someone who acts in a way to disrupt or disparage others, often to attract attention to the troll. As a verb, it means commenting in an unproductive way to spark a reaction. Trolls are commonplace on any website open for comment by the public, and studies have even been done about how unhappy trolls are themselves. Trolling can also be online bullying or cyberbullying.  

[[Jesus]] explains the existence of trolls in the [[parable]] of the tares in {{bibleref|Matthew|13|24-30}}, specifically [[Matthew 10-19 (Translated)#13:25|verse 25]]: '''''"But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds in the middle of the wheat, and then left."'''''

[[Jesus]] explains the existence of trolls in the [[parable]] of the tares in {{bibleref|Matthew|13|24-30}}, specifically [[Matthew 10-19 (Translated)#13:25|verse 25]]: '''''"But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds in the middle of the wheat, and then left."'''''

A troll, in [[Internet]] parlance, is an entity or character that purposely disrupts a conversation via discussion [[forum]] or [[email]], a comment thread on a [[blog]], or another sort of website. For example, on [[Wiki]]s, users who purposely make disruptive edits are considered trolls. Many people consider this type of activity to be merely childish, while others consider it symptomatic of deviant minds of opposition whereby infiltration by deceit is normal practice. Trolls pretend to be of common thinking, at the same time plotting anti-social crimes. The troll can otherwise be known as a [[frenemy]] or as a [[hoax plant]] lurking for an opportunity to create trouble.   

A troll, in [[Internet]] parlance, is an entity or character that purposely disrupts a conversation via discussion [[forum]] or [[email]], a comment thread on a [[blog]], or another sort of website. For example, on [[Wiki]]s, users who purposely make disruptive edits are considered trolls. Many people consider this type of activity to be merely childish, while others consider it symptomatic of deviant minds of opposition whereby infiltration by deceit is normal practice. Trolls pretend to be of common thinking, at the same time plotting anti-social crimes. The troll can otherwise be known as a [[frenemy]] or as a [[hoax plant]] lurking for an opportunity to create trouble.   

The term originated in the early 1990s, an abbreviation of the term "trolling for suckers" (trolling being an angling technique to seek fish). An [[Internet]] troll will lock their target, bait the line and spread the net to catch their goal (unwitting victim). Sites such as [[YouTube]], [[Yahoo!]] and the Internet Movie Database (prior to the latter's shutdown of its message boards on February 20, 2017) are known for their lax (laid back) and sometimes negative enforcement of community guidelines on their forums and comment sections. The effects of trolling on children who use the internet have been linked to a number of well documented suicides among youth in years past.  

The term originated in the early 1990s, as an abbreviation of the term "trolling for suckers" (trolling being an angling technique to seek fish). An [[Internet]] troll will lock their target, bait the line and spread the net to catch their goal (unwitting victim). Sites such as [[YouTube]], [[Yahoo!]] and the Internet Movie Database (prior to the latter's shutdown of its message boards on February 20, 2017) are known for their lax (laid back) and sometimes negative enforcement of community guidelines on their forums and comment sections. The effects of trolling on children who use the internet have been linked to a number of well-documented suicides among youth in years past.  

The reason most trolls act the way they do online is because they either have nothing better to do, suffer from low self-esteem as a result of a number of factors, or are anonymous children who have been, or are being [[bullying|bullied]] in real life and turn to the Internet to vent their anger. Many users have been banned from web forums or social networking sites as a result of using foul language or abusive replies to defend themselves against trolls, mostly due to corrupt and one-sided web masters. This is the basis that most trolls operate on. Luring their victims in, getting them stirred up, and then using their reactions against them and pretending that the victim is the bad guy. Anybody who expresses their viewpoints freely and/or touches on divisive and/or sensitive issues is a potential target for trolls.  

The reason most trolls act the way they do online is that they either have nothing better to do, suffer from low self-esteem as a result of a number of factors, or are anonymous children who have been or are being [[bullying|bullied]] in real life and turn to the Internet to vent their anger. Many users have been banned from web forums or social networking sites as a result of using foul language or abusive replies to defend themselves against trolls, mostly due to corrupt and one-sided web masters. This is the basis that most trolls operate on. Luring their victims in, getting them stirred up, and then using their reactions against them and pretending that the victim is the bad guy. Anybody who expresses their viewpoints freely and/or touches on divisive and/or sensitive issues is a potential target for trolls.  

Trolling is a common weapon used against conservative speech in feeble attempts at silencing them. Most trolls are kids between the ages of 10 and 16 who have no other agenda than amusing themselves with other people's frustration, who show up to get into mischief and stir up trouble on comment sites and on wikis because they most often are not being supervised online by their parents.<ref>[https://www.csoonline.com/article/2225579/most-parents-allow-unsupervised-internet-access-to-children-at-age-8.html Most parents allow unsupervised internet access to children at age 8]</ref> Such trolls often venture to the comment sections of conservative news sites to [[gloating|gloat]] obnoxiously whenever misfortune or reversals get dealt to conservative individuals or groups in the public eye, delighting in the trouble they cause when they gleefully and immaturely mock and ridicule said entities.  

Trolling is a common weapon used against conservative speech in feeble attempts at silencing them. Most trolls are kids between the ages of 10 and 16 who have no other agenda than amusing themselves with other people's frustration, who show up to get into mischief and stir up trouble on comment sites and on wikis because they most often are not being supervised online by their parents.<ref>[https://www.csoonline.com/article/2225579/most-parents-allow-unsupervised-internet-access-to-children-at-age-8.html Most parents allow unsupervised internet access to children at age 8]</ref> Such trolls often venture to the comment sections of conservative news sites to [[gloating|gloat]] obnoxiously whenever misfortune or reversals get dealt to conservative individuals or groups in the public eye, delighting in the trouble they cause when they gleefully and immaturely mock and ridicule said entities.  

Some of the more outrageous trolls who show up on comment sections of websites have been known to use multiple accounts dishonestly to pretend more "support" for their viewpoints than they really have,<ref>[https://blog.f-secure.com/how-to-deal-with-trolling-bots-and-fake-accounts/ How to deal with trolling, bots and fake accounts?]</ref> and they also often tend to show their age, mentality and lack of intelligence by posting comments containing vulgar and foul language, acting contrary to reality and the truth and acting in an immature, childish and narcissistic manner to provoke anger and reactions from the targeted and other commenters; such comments by those trolls, if made against the same people they target face-to-face and not online from behind the safety of their keyboards, would not be tolerated by the troll's victims and would not end well for the troll.

Some of the more outrageous trolls who show up on comment sections of websites have been known to use multiple accounts dishonestly to pretend more "support" for their viewpoints than they really have,<ref>[https://blog.f-secure.com/how-to-deal-with-trolling-bots-and-fake-accounts/ How to deal with trolls, bots and fake accounts?]</ref> and they also often tend to show their age, mentality and lack of intelligence by posting comments containing vulgar and foul language, acting contrary to reality and the truth and acting in an immature, childish and narcissistic manner to provoke anger and reactions from the targeted and other commenters; such comments by those trolls, if made against the same people they target face-to-face and not online from behind the safety of their keyboards, would not be tolerated by the troll's victims and would not end well for the troll.

===Do not feed the trolls===

===Do not feed the trolls===

'''Do Not Feed the Troll''', or '''DNFT''' is a common internet term for ignoring trolls, and allowing them to become bored. The same tactic can be used on liberals and atheists, for different reasons. Generally, it is seen as the best way to deal with trolls. The key motive behind trolling is to cause a reaction. Trolls do not care how well reasoned your argument is, they simply want you to react. By failing to give them a response, they will get bored, and leave.

'''Do Not Feed the Troll''', or '''DNFT''' is a common internet term for ignoring trolls, and allowing them to become bored. The same tactic can be used on liberals and atheists, for different reasons. Generally, it is seen as the best way to deal with trolls. The key motive behind trolling is to cause a reaction. Trolls do not care how well-reasoned your argument is, they simply want you to react. By failing to give them a response, they will get bored, and leave.

== RationalWiki.org, internet trolls, the Kiwi Farms website and individuals going to RationalWiki.org to troll politically left-leaning atheists ==

== RationalWiki.org, internet trolls, the Kiwi Farms website and individuals going to RationalWiki.org to troll politically left-leaning atheists ==

As can be seen in the graphic above from SimilarWeb.com, the 5th most similar website audience in terms of RationalWiki.org is Kiwifarms.net.  

As can be seen in the graphic above from SimilarWeb.com, the 5th most similar website audience in terms of RationalWiki.org is Kiwifarms.net.  

At the [[Kiwi Farms]] website, there is currently 136 pages of discussion pages at the Kiwi Farms website dealing with RationalWiki and much of it is of a disparaging nature.<ref>[https://kiwifarms.net/threads/rationalwiki.14720/page-136 Kiwi Farms - RationalWiki discussion pages]</ref> A discussion thread about RationalWiki at the Kiwi Farms website describes RationalWiki as a "Whiny hugbox for spergs and a cluster**** of neverending drama on a rapidly declining website."<ref>[https://kiwifarms.net/threads/rationalwiki.14720/page-136 Kiwi Farms - RationalWiki discussion pages]</ref> Atheists have a reputation for having poor social skills (see: [[Atheism and social/interpersonal intelligence]]). In recent years, the website RationalWiki has seen an enormous loss of web traffic (see: [[RationalWiki and web traffic]]).  Apparently, the web visitors of Kiwi Farms consider RationalWikians to be gullible "lolcows" who are easily upset (see also: [[Atheism and gullibility]]).  

At the [[Kiwi Farms]] website, there are currently 136 pages of discussion pages at the Kiwi Farms website dealing with RationalWiki and much of it is of a disparaging nature.<ref>[https://kiwifarms.net/threads/rationalwiki.14720/page-136 Kiwi Farms - RationalWiki discussion pages]</ref> A discussion thread about RationalWiki at the Kiwi Farms website describes RationalWiki as a "Whiny hugbox for spergs and a cluster**** of neverending drama on a rapidly declining website."<ref>[https://kiwifarms.net/threads/rationalwiki.14720/page-136 Kiwi Farms - RationalWiki discussion pages]</ref> Atheists have a reputation for having poor social skills (see: [[Atheism and social/interpersonal intelligence]]). In recent years, the website RationalWiki has seen an enormous loss of web traffic (see: [[RationalWiki and web traffic]]).  Apparently, the web visitors of Kiwi Farms consider RationalWikians to be gullible "lolcows" who are easily upset (see also: [[Atheism and gullibility]]).  

The website Kiwi Farms has antipathy towards [[Social justice warrior|social justice warriors]].  RationalWiki.org is largely a pro-[[SJW atheists]] website.

The website Kiwi Farms has antipathy towards [[Social justice warrior|social justice warriors]].  RationalWiki.org is largely a pro-[[SJW atheists]] website.

Both atheists and Muslims have developed a reputation of being thin-skinned (and for wanting to impose their ideology on others). It has been quipped that "Atheism is the [[Atheism is a religion|easiest religion]] to [[Internet Trolling|troll]]".<ref>[https://twitter.com/wefail/status/33097235830526771 "Martin Wefail" on Twitter]</ref><ref>[http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/15847/why-is-atheism-such-an-easy-religion-to-troll Atheism is the easiest religion to troll]</ref>  Internet trolls often actively pursue trolling atheists due to their penchant of being [[Atheism and arrogance|so proud]] and [[Atheism and anger|so easily angered]].<ref name="theguardian.com">[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/09/confessions-of-an-internet-troll ''Limmy's Show: Confessions of an internet troll''],'' The Guardian'', Brian Limond

Both atheists and Muslims have developed a reputation for being thin-skinned (and for wanting to impose their ideology on others). It has been quipped that "Atheism is the [[Atheism is a religion|easiest religion]] to [[Internet Trolling|troll]]".<ref>[https://twitter.com/wefail/status/33097235830526771 "Martin Wefail" on Twitter]</ref><ref>[http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/15847/why-is-atheism-such-an-easy-religion-to-troll Atheism is the easiest religion to troll]</ref>  Internet trolls often actively pursue trolling atheists due to their penchant of being [[Atheism and arrogance|so proud]] and [[Atheism and anger|so easily angered]].<ref name="theguardian.com">[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/09/confessions-of-an-internet-troll ''Limmy's Show: Confessions of an internet troll''],'' The Guardian'', Brian Limond

The Guardian, Friday 9 November 2012 10.00 EST</ref>   

The Guardian, Friday 9 November 2012 10.00 EST</ref>   

[[Breitbart]] journalist [[Milo Yiannopoulos]], a self-described provocateur, indicates "the reason I have a go at atheists is that it's fun. They are so thin-skinned. They are like [[libertarianism|libertarians]], or...they are like liberal Democrats in the UK or..[[feminism|feminists]] in fact. They are so easy to wind up... They are so touchy."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Qao3A4yU4 Milo Yiannopoulos vs Atheism]</ref>  

[[Breitbart]] journalist [[Milo Yiannopoulos]], a self-described provocateur, indicates "the reason I have a go at atheists is that it's fun. They are so thin-skinned. They are like [[libertarianism|libertarians]], or...they are like liberal Democrats in the UK or..[[feminism|feminists]] in fact. They are so easy to wind up... They are so touchy."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Qao3A4yU4 Milo Yiannopoulos vs Atheism]</ref>  

Atheists have reputation for being arrogant (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]). Most people and cultures take a very dim view of proud people and some cultures are known for actively engaging humbling successful people and/or proud people (Several Anglosphere nations are known for having [[tall poppy syndrome]] and [[Phillipines|Filipinos]] are known for having a "crab culture".  Crabs in a bucket of water will pull down crabs trying to escape from the bucket).

Atheists have a reputation for being arrogant (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]). Most people and cultures take a very dim view of proud people and some cultures are known for actively engaging and humbling successful people and/or proud people (Several Anglosphere nations are known for having [[tall poppy syndrome]] and [[Phillipines|Filipinos]] are known for having a "crab culture".  Crabs in a bucket of water will pull down crabs trying to escape from the bucket).

Websites that are under troll and vandal attacks often take a bunker mentality and become preoccupied with fighting trolls and vandals. This bunker mentality is especially prevalent for websites that wish to defend a narrow-minded political/ideological narrative that poorly reflects reality such as RationalWiki. As a result, they often become unwelcoming websites to a large portion of the public.  

Websites that are under troll and vandal attacks often take a bunker mentality and become preoccupied with fighting trolls and vandals. This bunker mentality is especially prevalent for websites that wish to defend a narrow-minded political/ideological narrative that poorly reflects reality such as RationalWiki. As a result, they often become unwelcoming websites to a large portion of the public.  

Furthermore, because the individuals involved in the website are bogged down fighting trolls and vandals instead of creating new content, often this is a contributing factor to the websites losing global marketshare, Google rankings and web traffic in general.  

Furthermore, because the individuals involved in the website are bogged down fighting trolls and vandals instead of creating new content, often this is a contributing factor to the websites losing global market share, Google rankings and web traffic in general.  

As can be seen below, the website RationalWiki is currently losing global market share.  See also: [[RationalWiki and web traffic]]

As can be seen below, the website RationalWiki is currently losing global market share.  See also: [[RationalWiki and web traffic]]