Don’t feed the trolls
Social media is an ideal place to promote your research. But as a researcher, you should expect your work and comments to be scrutinised by the public, policy makers, and campaigners.
By Paul Newton, Head of Digital and Media
Social media is an ideal place to promote your research. But as a researcher, you should expect your work and comments to be scrutinised by the public, policy makers, and campaigners.
Some researchers working on high-profile subjects that attract controversy have also found themselves targeted with online harassment, although the Science Media Centre advise that doing media work does not by itself increase the chance of a researcher being targeted.
There are four types of trolling:
- Astroturfing — Astroturfing is the attempt to create an impression of widespread grassroots support for a policy, individual, or product, where little such support exists. In terms of trolling, it might mean coming under fire from the combined force of an entire country, or fake bot armies. Instead of taking offence, take heart, you are poking at something that someone really doesn’t want you to!
- Sea lioning — ‘Killing by kindness’ and manufacturing ignorance by asking question, then turning on the victim in an instant — and then taking on the wronged victim role. What to say to a sea lion: “Here is a peer-reviewed, academically rigorous link explaining all the information you need”.
- Concerned trolling — They hide criticism behind a ‘genuine concern’, the classic wolf in sheep’s clothing.
- Incitement trolling — encouraging a dogpile on the victim, quoting people with whom they disagree, or sharing a screenshot with the words “share widely”. This lets lose a mob on the victim. Try and ride the storm — ignore, block, or report.
If you experience trolling, the best advice is to step back and assess the situation. Are the views representative of the wider public, and do they have significant influence?
The Keele Communications Team will be on hand to help. But it’s important that you don’t allow yourself to be silenced. Be proud of the research you do, and be honest and transparent, and think about what you want the public to hear.
More advice on handling Trolls is available from the Science Media Centre.
