Social Media Stereotypes

As of January 2015 there were approximately 3 billion active internet users and 2 billion active social media accounts. The social media websites through which these accounts operate are defined as “member based internet communities which that allow users to post profile information, such as a username or photograph, and to communicate with others in innovative ways such as sending public or private online messages, or sharing photos online” (Pempek, Yermolayeva & Calvert, 2009 p.277). Few could deny the pervasive effect social media has had in recent years. To put this into perspective, Facebook alone was assimilated to the third largest country in the world based on its population size of 1 billion in 2011 (Mal & Parikh, 2011) and has since …show more content…
For the media the term trolling represents an evocative term predominately used to describe circumstances in which an individual has been victimised or bullied online. Academic literature meanwhile typically considers trolls to be agents of disruption or breeders of hatred, though some, namely those referred to within the literature as kudos trollers, whose posts often display transgressive humour are believed to play useful and necessary roles in internet based interactions, especially in the strengthening and bringing together of an online community (Bishop, 2012c; Bishop, 2013). It is therefore key to take into consideration the fact that research dealing with trolling draws on both vernacular definitions of online culture and on the media (De Seta, 2013) as well as acknowledging that the forms of trolling in and of themselves are subject to change over time, adapting to the developments of online environments and interactions (Phillips, …show more content…
In the UK however there are three legislative acts under which trolls may be prosecuted, these being the Malicious Communications Act 1988, the Communications act 2003 and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Despite the firmly established illegality of trolling behaviour in the UK, very few cases have resulted in charges being made and the taking of legal action is generally deemed to be an extreme and unnecessary action, despite the often significant detriment caused to the individual(s) targeted (Bishop, 2013). Modern definitions of trolling however have seen it develop into an umbrella term which encompasses many of the behaviours associated with cyberbullying. It is therefore probable that trolling behaviour may in the near future be categorised as being synonymous to the use of fighting words, that is words which are written or uttered with the intention of inciting hatred or violence from the person at which they are targeted, deemed an offence under U.S constitutional law. In contrast Australia’s endorsement of somewhat draconian speech laws has resulted in the arrest and criminal charge of several internet trolls, with the first occurring over 5 years ago in the 2010 case of Bradley Paul Hampson. The extent to which trolling is regarded as a moral or criminal issue embodies the ongoing debate within