Has the Internet Brought the ‘Age of Rage’ to Your Online Expat Group? Janet Blaser - Mexico News Daily
go to original April 7, 2022

It starts with an innocent question asked in an expat forum or Facebook group: is there a dry cleaner in town? Where can I find tofu? How much is a taxi to the airport?

Instead of helpful answers, what often follows is a harsh volley of sarcastic or cruel remarks, insults and abusive comments. Before you know it, the original question is drowned out by a thread of slurs, attacks and name-calling.

“I’ll be chatting on a Oaxaca group about something, and suddenly what I’ve said gets twisted out of context, or becomes an excuse for someone (maybe many people) to rant. Most often it’s folks who don’t live in Oaxaca, who may not even exist, who are roaming around the internet trying to rile people up. Actual real-life Oaxaca is a friendly city.”

That opinion comes from one of 150 people who answered a Mexico News Daily survey asking if they’d been the target of abusive comments or trolls; another 200 or so responded to posts I made on a dozen online Mexico expat pages. They shared their experiences, advice and perplexity as to why this happens so often.

To encourage more candid answers, respondents could answer anonymously.

Trolling has been a recognized (and unfortunate) part of online exchanges since the start of the internet. It’s not something that only occurs on expat pages, and we’re not talking about people complaining about life in Mexico.

Psychologists explain that trolling’s specific intent is to upset as many people as possible, challenging common-sense morality and social values. Trolls revel in triggering people and making them fight among themselves about what’s acceptable, harmful or funny, which often has nothing to do with the original post.

“People have gotten very defensive, demeaning and name-calling when I don’t agree with their opinion,” wrote one respondent. “There’s literally no question that won’t elicit an abusive response from someone. And that’s what it is: abusive. I feel like sh*t for days after getting trolled. It feels like it’s changing the nature of communication.”

Troll Tactics: Some Advice

How do you handle trolls? Experts say the most important thing to remember when dealing with them is to understand what they’re trying to do: upset you. These tips may help you prevent that from happening:

  • Assume good faith. Before supposing the worst, try making a kind suggestion or response. Maybe someone is just having a bad day and didn’t realize how snarky their comment sounded.

  • Keep your sense of humor. You may be able to joke them out of their misbehavior.

  • Ignore them. A troll’s objective is to make people angry and hijack the conversation. Don’t “feed the troll” by responding to their comments. The sooner you extinguish the trolling, the better.

  • Report the troll to a forum or site administrator, moderator or owner. Treat the matter as what it is — someone testing your boundaries and waiting for you to bite.

  • Compliment the troll. This simple gesture may be enough to throw them off balance and get them to stop.

  • Use the “cool” tactic. When a troll posts, simply respond with the word “cool,” and continue the conversation you were having. Repeat as often as necessary.

Janet Blaser is the author of the best-selling book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, featured on CNBC and MarketWatch. She has lived in Mexico since 2006. You can find her on Facebook.

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