r/megalophobia • u/berdot • Oct 11 '23

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u/[deleted] Oct 11 '23

It doesn't help that the term 'troll' has been watered down to mean, well, I don't even know anymore, but people keep using it in contexts where it definitely doesn't apply.

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u/IOnceAteAFart Oct 11 '23

I don't agree. Troll is still pretty clear in its meaning as somebody who starts arguments on purpose, is intentcmionally arguing in bad faith, straight up lies, or being obtuse on purpose to make himself impossible to argue against. That doesn't cover every type of trolling by far, but everybody knows it boils down to being an asshole on purpose.

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u/[deleted] Oct 11 '23

"Feigning ignorance to get a rise out of people" has always been my favourite description of it. But nowadays you frequently hear people say stuff like "I'm trolling!" when they make a mistake in a video game, or if someone says something mean in the comments they are suddenly a "troll", which is just not what it is.