Official Review: Shame and Internet Trolling

[GKCfan]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shame and Internet Trolling" by George Caspar.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Official Review: Shame and Internet Trolling: A Personal Exploration of the Mindset Behind this Modern Behavior, by George Caspar.

Go anywhere on the Internet that allows commenting, and you can find evidence that people can be awful. People post all sorts of angry comments on news stories, mocking others for their political or religious views. Any online forum can fall prey to people posting vile racist or other bigoted remarks on the forum. Personal attacks, profanity-filled tirades, and other unpleasant writings can be found on Facebook feeds and all sorts of other Internet venues. People who make the Internet a less pleasant place are generally referred to as trolls. Some people argue that trolls should just be ignored and that any attention paid to them only encourages them (don’t feed the trolls is a common refrain amongst Internet commenters who just want to be left alone), but such an approach doesn’t necessarily get rid of the Internet trolls.

Shame and Internet Trolling is one man’s memoir about how he became an Internet troll and why. The book starts as a candid autobiography of Caspar’s early years, explaining some of the influences that shaped him and scarred him as he grew up and dealt with the problems of adulthood. Internet trolling enters fairly late in the book, and the details of Caspar’s trolling are comparatively scant. Thus, the book is more of a cathartic form of self-confession than a scholarly study of the widespread causes of Internet trolling.

It should be noted that this is a “personal exploration” and should not be used as an example of every Internet troll’s experience. George Caspar comes across as an intelligent, thoughtful man who was in a dark place in his life and vented his frustrations in a destructive manner, but who gained a better understanding of his personal issues and learned how to channel his feelings into healthier and more constructive forms. Caspar may have behaved in a less charitable manner than he ought to have in the past, but he really made a successful effort to improve himself, and I think that someone who works so hard to make himself a better person ought to get credit for that.

However, though I have no firsthand information about the reasons why the countless other Internet trolls spew the vitriol they do on comment boards, I’m fairly certain that a lot of them are just jerks, and that they don’t have the same level of self-awareness that Caspar does.

Caspar comes across as a fellow trying to become the best man he can be, and this book may be useful as a means of making the Internet a nicer place to be.

I give this book three out of four stars.

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Shame and Internet Trolling
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like GKCfan's review? Post a comment saying so!

[geocaspar]

Thank you. Can you please post this review on Amazon?

[gali]

Thank you. Can you please post this review on Amazon?

Congratulations on the great review! Please note that the reviews here are exclusive to OnlineBookClub.org, and cannot be posted it elsewhere. The reviewer can post a link to the review, or summarize the review in different words. Alternatively you can contact the web-master Scott for permission to post the review.

[bookowlie]

Nice review! Internet trolling is such a timely subject for discussion. I think these trolls say things online that they would never dream of saying in person.

[TravelingJJ]

I have to agree that it is a timely topic though I still have an issue with someone justifying behaviors because of the past. Unfortunately, as empowering as the internet has been, it has been equally horrendous in facilitating what would never be acceptable if your face and identity were transparent.

[tortoise keeper]

Very nice review! I have heard of Internet trolls but did not know exactly who they were and how they functioned. It sounds like a interesting subject and one that I would not have known about without your review.

[geocaspar]

I have to agree that it is a timely topic though I still have an issue with someone justifying behaviors because of the past. Unfortunately, as empowering as the internet has been, it has been equally horrendous in facilitating what would never be acceptable if your face and identity were transparent.

My book was not an attempt to justify trolling but rather to explore to larger picture of the shame dynamic in which it exists. It is my belief that most people caught up in this dynamic are unaware of their true motivations. The hope is that by shedding light upon this dynamic someone caught up in it can find their way out. This hope is based upon my own personal experience which I attempted to describe in the book.

[HalcyonFlower]

The opening paragraph in this review is fabulous and meets expectations when I read the book's title. Going on though, I'm a bit disappointed that trolling isn't covered much. It definitely is an interesting topic since 'trolling' is such an evolving aspect of the internet that laws aren't able to keep up with them. Still sounds intriguing book though, just not something that's for me.

[GKCfan]

Thanks to everybody for your kind comments!

[geocaspar]

[Al]though I have no firsthand information about the reasons why the countless other Internet trolls spew the vitriol they do on comment boards, I’m fairly certain that a lot of them are just jerks, and that they don’t have the same level of self-awareness that Caspar does.

I think the critical question is why are these people jerks? What were the circumstances that led to them being jerks? I don't think people become jerks in a vacuum. Trolls are people who take pleasure in the experience of making other people feel bad about themselves (ie. feel shame). It has been my experience that people typically do not enjoy this experience unless they experienced someone else taking pleasure from inflicting shame upon them. Again, this is not to place blame because if you blame one generation you must blame the generation before it going back all the way to Adam and Eve. Not to mention the fact that blaming others is yet another quality of shame. Rather, all this is to bring awareness of this shame dynamic which is the only way (in my experience) to break the endless wheel.

-- 04 May 2016, 14:13 --

Thanks to everybody for your kind comments!

Hi GKCfan. Thank you for putting a review on Amazon. Your review referenced a link to this review but there was no working link. If it's not too much trouble could you please fix this? Thanks again.

[GKCfan]

Hi! I'm not sure what happened, but I added a comment with a link.