by Liam Ayre

Created on: January 05, 2013   Last Updated: January 07, 2013

The start of this debate must have came along with trolling. Trolling is an internet slang word for someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

We first became aware of trolling mid last year, when many people calling themselves trolls verbally attacked peoples social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Trolling got famous quickly, and people all over the world started to question whether it should be made against the law. In March, a 21-year-old student who posted racist tweets about footballer Fabrice Muamba as he lay collapsed on a football pitch was jailed for 56 days for a racially aggravated public disorder offence. So you can face jail for this crime, but should it be an offence in its own right? 

Even celebrities began trolling. On August 9, 2012, Ex Big Brother wannabe  Kenneth Tong jumped into the limelight when he wrote vile Twitter messages about the stillbirth of the Take That star’s daughter. After horrified fans blasted his disgusting comments, he told the Mirror, “I don’t care what people think. If people want to talk about me, I’m going to use it to my advantage.”

The fact that this man can be so antisocial on such a touchy topic and have his face on the front page of every big newspaper in the United Kingdom is a really bad message for all. The thought of children admiring this sick joke should disgust everyone; maybe they will follow his advice on infamy and get in trouble with the law.

Mr. Tong was so happy with the media attention he decided the time was right to approach model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley via twitter. He claimed, “If she can just know who I am, I’m going to be happy.” Should we feel sorry for this lonely desperate man, or should you be worried your children are going to call their peers horrible names so they can talk to a girl or make themselves more popular. What if they hurt themselves or their friends or family? Maybe you feel this man should have been chastised. Do you feel this man was in the right?

So ask yourself again, are social media sites becoming antisocial?

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