Express & Star

How do I deal with Twitter trolls? Here's how to handle social media pests

It is one of the world's most popular social media networks with around 320 million people using it on a monthly basis.

Published

But Twitter users are currently witnessing a first, the President of the United States using the social media platform to go on the attack.

Donald Trump, the 45th US president, has used his Twitter account in recent weeks to take swipes at Mexico for 'taking advantage of the US' and the coverage he has been receiving from 'fake news' CNN.

However, the other side of the coin is that he is being mercifully trolled by users gobsmacked at some of the tweets he sends out. He has been told that he looks like a man who has farted in an elevator when people have just got on and he has been compared to Homer Simpson if he inherited all of Mr Burns' money and of course he has been told far worse too.

Now, when you're the president of the US it is quite easy to avoid the abuse that is being hurled at you 24/7. You could say he has better things to do with his time than check Twitter.

But what about people who are new to Twitter or new to being trolled? They do not have nuclear codes to go and play with as their phone constantly vibrates with users from across the globe spitting vitriol at them.

Thankfully, however, advice is on hand.

One option is to fire back at the trolls with a witty retort.

For those not as quick-thinking then other options are available.

One of these is to use the block button. One quick click of a button then all your problems, from that user anyway, are gone.

Do not want to give them the satisfaction of blocking? Then Twitter has another useful tool available called the mute button.

The abusive user will not know you have taken action against them but their vitriol will be nowhere on your timeline.

Other options include having a thick skin and laughing it off.

Not sure which is best for you? Thankfully some of the Express & Star team have given their expert thoughts below:

Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers

1) Block

Football fans are abusive and argumentative at the best of times, but on faceless mob-happy Twitter this is ramped up to 11.

The simple solution? Block. Someone's throwing unspeakable insults at you for absolutely no reason? Block.

It's actually quite therapeutic. Block, block and block some more.

2) Rise to the bait

The most favourable of the three options – if you can think of a witty retort. We're not all blessed with the astonishing wit and humour of James Blunt but from time to time a cunning comeback will shoot to the forefront of a mind dulled by spending endless hours watching largely banal tweets shoots down your computer screen on TweetDeck.

3) Turn off Twitter

The least practical of this garbled advice. Football journalism is now a 24/7 gluttonous jamboree of false information and unfathomable opinions. Switching Twitter off isn't feasible if you want to attempt to keep your finger on the pulse.

Editor Keith Harrison

1) To block or not to block?

I'll be honest, when I first landed in the Twittersphere I blocked people faster than a New England linebacker. But then I realised this played into the trolls' grubby hands; they often bragged about it, portraying themselves as 'victims'. Simply getting a response is all they're after and they'll say ANYTHING to get one. I've had all sorts of gems thrown at me, my top tip is just ignore it.

2) There is another way

The simple 'Mute' function means you don't get to see what people are saying, so they can waffle on to their heart's content and you don't have to sift through any of it. It's a subtle way of keeping people at arm's reach, without hurting their feelings.

3) Don't take it too seriously

In more enlightened times, Twitter trolls would be the kind of people who sat in the corners of smoky pubs mumbling to themselves. They're still those people, it's just now they have a fancy 'digital platform'. This doesn't legitimise anything they say, drivel is drivel. Avoid jokes. There will ALWAYS be someone lined up to take offence and pull in the online angry mob. My advice is just rise above it, it's not the real world, after all.

Digital sports editor Nathan Judah

1) Have a thick skin

Being in front of camera, you have to put yourself in the firing line to be shot at.

It's a privileged position and you must accept that you will not be everybody's cup of tea. You have to develop a very thick skin otherwise you're in the wrong job. Taking things to heart about team favouritism, opinion or appearance is a sure fire way to become a nervous wreck.

2) Laugh it off

Take the 'better to be talked about than not at all' approach. I find some of the abuse quite entertaining, especially the lengths some people will go to using Photoshop.

3) Do not block followers

I know a few of my colleagues use the block button rather frequently. I think if you block someone, you give the troll a little victory.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.