I'm sort of out of the loop on some levels, and the proliferation of internet terms can get unwieldy and confusing. There are many symbols. I know most of those. The most common word is a troll. It's kind of annoying, as it is overused. A troll will always be a creep sitting under a bridge more so than someone on the internet. Granted, some people can be annoying, but sometimes a troll is someone who defends a position or doesn't subscribe to a collective opinion. Another term that has come to my attention is "to catfish." What the heck does that mean? Is that a contact to personalize interaction on a forum or a website? If someone writes to me and I'm quite familiar with them or they are a friend of a friend, why become defensive? When on Facebook more, I probably sent out 2 messages to friends of friends, with whom I had a lot in common, to compliment them on a photo or an achievement. Is that "catfishing," too? It seems people are using social media exponentially, yet are getting more pissy about it in the process. What do you think of the terms "troll" and "catfish" and their use?
A catfish is someone who PRETENDS to be someone else, and forms false relationships with people. They can be problematic when for example, one starts talking to you, and you form an intimate online relationship. In reality, you know nothing about this person. They could be a different gender in real life, married. They take on a completely different identity online. And use other people's photos.
I think that the term 'troll' has been tarnished by the media that seem to think that someone who hates on people is a 'troll'. Being a troll used to be a respected thing, they made people laugh by taking the piss of people light-heartedly or misleading them in some way. Now it seems that a troll is someone who sends death threats to people on Twitter. :/
That, as described, would be creepy. Thanks for the clarification. I just assumed it was the initiation of (unwanted) contact. ---------- Post added 29th Oct 2013 at 12:52 PM ---------- Thanks. I never knew what the historical version of a troll sitting under a bridge did - did he just pester little kids, do naughty things to them, eat them, or something else? I remember trolls from images in books when in grammar school. Like this one: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4009/4318433413_6a90fd231e_z.jpg
When I was young, a troll was a fictional monster that lived under bridges and bullied goats. *shrugs* Catfish: I have unwittingly done this. But...you'll forgive me for not wanting to form any kind of real relationships with people who use a neonazi right-wing forum seriously.
Epic. <<It doesn't even apply to just the internet, but everywhere nowadays. It pains me to see this word corrupted so badly, because it is such a great one. But what used to apply only to cosmic scales and impossibly heroic deeds now is a generic word like "awesome." Anyone thinking of using "epic" for anything that doesn't deserve it just cheapens the word further.
I also unwittingly did the catfish thing on a different board. I was friends with one guy that was causing a lot of drama. After he was banned some of his enemies thought I was him. I did not discourage them from believing this. I thought it was fun at the time.
Just a clarification: the world 'trolling' comes from the fishing term trolling - i.e. dragging a line behind your boat and hoping a fish bites onto it as you drive around. Internet trolling is done in the same way, by putting controversial or sarcastic comments on websites and hoping an unsuspecting person will fall for the trap, latch onto it, and respond sincerely. It doesn't have anything to do with the mythical creature. edit: also in this sense you can't call someone a 'troll' as it is a verb, not a noun.
