An Internet Troll looks for people who react.

When you get attacked by an Internet troll it has nothing to do with you. None whatsoever. You didn’t say anything wrong; you didn’t insult, anger, or outrage, but an internet troll attacked you MAINLY because you seem like a nice person. The logic here is thus: Nice people are good to have as friends. They’re willing to serve you and your needs, right? Secondly, nice people are easily insulted because they are mindful of their reputation and what people think of them. Therefore, a nice person will easily defend their good reputation, and give the troll what they gravely want: Attention.

Attention = love.

Attention to the Normal Person* is equal to love. Directly. The logic is that of a toddler; if mom or dad sees me, I am safe and taken care of. If they cannot get attention by being good, they get attention by being bad. And an internet troll has learned that the best, fastest way to get attention is to be intrusive, disrespectful, hurtful, and on the attack. They believe that you’ll start cradling them, guiding them to better things, and replacing their absent parents, and this is not age-related at all.

The stronger your opinions, the more they also attack your knowledge. They may start spreading false information to force you to correct it. They’re hoping people will remember them for this, even though the connotation is negative. The logic there is that the Normal Person* bond through familiarity, not through mutual love and respect. If they manage to hang on long enough, they are CERTAIN, they’ll make friends with you because you can’t get rid of them.

What to do?

Now. You have two options: Block and ban and forget they existed or take them under your wing. They want attention to something. They want and need someone to give a shit about them. That is not to say it has to be you, but that is to say that that is within your options. Still, I say only take them under your wing if you truly feel sympathy toward them. Treat them like a stray dog, you can’t take one in and then abandon them again after you realize they’re too much trouble. You have to see something in them to take them in. It doesn’t have to make sense, but if you “adopt them” you have to MEAN IT.

That is also not to say that if you already have done something like this, I’d judge you for having a change of heart and abandoning someone; I’m just saying that after this advice, don’t take that decision lightly. He or she will either never grow up or they will take their sweet time to do it. And if you do, you have to consider “raising them” for someone else and make sure they are aware of it. But they may like you so much they don’t want you to let go of them, but they want you to “raise them” into your own partner or friend. (If they’re same sex, they’re usually at least closet gay.)

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