Why trolling on the internet is very bad (and you could get in trouble)
Also, there is no need to be a jerk on the internet — this is a PSA
I’m telling you: it’s really bad trolling on the internet and vandalizing wikis, you know. That’s mean. They can permanently ban your account and your IP address, and they will send the evidence to your ISP (and possibly your local police). And you could get in trouble. Really. It’s also really bad to repost other people’s artwork or photographs despite boosting other people’s artwork or content on Mastodon and Bluesky (in the case of Spoutible, echoing), including reblogging other people’s art on Tumblr will be OK.
The internet, just like the world itself, is a public space (though it does include private and public companies) and does not allow uncivilized conversations. The internet giants such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Reddit, Behance, and ArtStation, as well as Discord, including the webcomic hosting and art sites’ forums (if they have one, and if not, Discord servers), wanted everyone to be nice and respectful. Dunking on other content creators (artists, mangaka, webcomic artists, Twitch streamers, etc.) and hating them for their successes doesn’t make you gain popularity faster. Complaining will not help you gain popularity, friends, or fans at all, and keep people and potential fans and/or Discord members away from you, and that’s not going to help you network within the communities either. Since Japan introduced an anti-trolling bill in mid-2022, the internet is not a place for online trolls. Disagreements often happen and are normal, but we need to criticize their lifestyles or ideas, not the individual or group of people, as we may not share the same opinions, but we can still get along as online communities.
The online communities want you to post regularly, interact with fellow creators/users, and be genuine. They also want you to be active, friendly, and patient so you can get very far — including embracing quality over quantity — rather than being an online lurker or internet troll. The more you interact and post, the more people get to see your name (or your pen name) out there, and if they think you are cool and post interesting and fun stuff, then they will also follow you on social media (Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, Spoutible, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, ArtStation, Behance, Newgrounds, and also YouTube) too, not just the art and webcomic communities. This also means you need to join Facebook groups and Discord servers, and you have to be patient as it takes time, and not bash any up-and-coming and/or successful people or be overly self-deprecating at all — that you don’t need to have. They also want you to stay positive and never give up, which means you must change your attitude. It does not have to be that hard — and people should not be made of online trolls or complainers.
This is why online trolling has always been a gray area in the US and Canada. If the online petitioners at Change.org wanted the American government and the Canadian government to introduce anti-trolling bills, although often frowned upon, they would still consider that censorship, because online trolling has never actioned against as in the courts of both American and Canadian laws are what they would have to prove — monetary losses or damages, including threats of violence against the internet giants’ staff and their trust and safety team officials. Japan, Ireland, and the UK all have anti-trolling laws (or similar), as American and Canadian law enforcement agencies cannot arrest online trolls. And the American and Canadian governments couldn’t — because it’s simply not true.
Online lurking is also another story. We think the internet giants should come together and help reduce the lurker population to around 50% — but that would be impossible as changing the IP addresses or using a VPN to create another account after the original account is permanently banned is also nearly impossible (potentially because of server money, too, and also requests to reverse account bans). However, it is clear in the not-so-distant future, online trolling and online harassment (such as on social media, blogging sites, online forums, Discord servers, and Facebook groups) can be serious violations of the sites’ community guidelines and terms of service as online trolling and online harassment are very bad and will result in a permanent banning of the person’s account, including the person’s IP address and the evidence will be sent to the person’s ISP. If the person lives in the UK, Ireland, or Japan, they will face fines and/or incarceration.
That doesn’t mean they’ll get it right, though — chances are they won’t. People will be happy if you set your expectations higher (as you won’t be discouraged by that at all) as keeping your expectations low is an absolute no-no and is not recommended at all because lowering your expectations often contributes to discouragement, low self-esteem, depression, and not being able to reach your ultimate goals before you have the chance to leave your parents’ nest before they either retire or pass away and what’s worse — being sent to a group home, disability case manager or support coordinator comes in either monthly or quarterly to help you look for jobs and look for a local apartment to live in unless you can support yourself and only yourself (freelancers and business owners also support themselves, too) instead of being supported by your family so you can stop the disability case manager or support coordinator permanently without having to resort to violence.
We have ideas that up-and-coming and big-name artists should stop ignoring small artists on social media so they can respond and follow them on social media and have them grow their following up to at least 1,000 followers on Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, Spoutible, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, ArtStation, Behance, Newgrounds, and also YouTube, as many millennials and Zoomers quit their day jobs (including retail jobs) as they work from home (such as having their own art or graphic design studio) these days, which makes them a lot of cash and should be done when they reach their ultimate goals. We should also work with the internet giants’ trust and safety team officials to change their community guidelines and terms of service while offering them to take anger management classes and seek professional help (including permanently firing some of the problematic staff), as they should know that there are autistic people on the internet, including those who have ADHD or bipolar disorder (as there are autistic people who have their own Discord servers).
We all come from different walks of life, there will always be something that some people or companies will dislike, and I don’t want to report every user or flag every post endlessly. Take time to be nice and respectful to everyone if you’re going to find your way back on the internet to grow your following on social media such as Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, Spoutible, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, ArtStation, Behance, Newgrounds, and also YouTube, and stop trolling on the internet (including if you plan to quit your day job to work on art and/or manga full time on the internet).
Although the forum-, Reddit- and Discord-goers want you to lower your expectations, that’s still not recommended at all as lowering your expectations is considered an absolute no-no because you will face disappointment, have depression, and make people less happy before your parents retire or pass away because you will still have a disability case manager or a support coordinator who comes in either monthly or quarterly to check on you.
We need to make the internet a better place for everyone, not for online trolls, and if we stop fighting online, then we don’t have to seek professional help. Let’s shake hands. If you want to see the FAQ about my former video game community that has been shut down since September 1, click here. In other words, a new video game community is underway by video gaming enthusiasts consisting of Zoomers (between the ages of 14–19) to rebuild our original video game community, but with behavioral changes. And we wish them well.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
Cory out.
