PR AGENCY DIARIES: HOW TO DEAL WITH DICKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

If you put yourself out there on social media, sometimes people aren’t going to like what you’re about (and that’s okay), but when people purposefully post harmful comments for no reason it’s an entirely different kettle of fish. Trolls, keyboard warriors, bullies, dickheads – whatever you call them – are intentionally provocative and inflammatory. They live in the shadow of anonymity online, hiding behind their (often fake) social profiles and indulging in their favourite pastime: making people miserable.

When you have a troll (or trolls – sometimes they travel in packs) it can be hard to know what to do. Whether it’s your first time being unfairly attacked online or you’re a seasoned pro at being criticised, it can be overwhelming, upsetting and even frightening. Troll attacks can get personal. They’ll go deep through your profile and find any ammunition they think they can use – twisting everything you’ve ever said against you in an attempt to bring you down.

So, how do you banish them back under whatever bridge they crawled out from?

Don’t feed the trolls – reacting will only make it worse

It’s easier said than done, we know. When someone is coming for you, it’s normal to want to fight back and defend yourself - but they’re looking for a reaction and if you give them one, they’ll likely only come down harder. Rather than responding on impulse, put your phone down, take a break from social, go for a walk or listen to a podcast - anything to distract you from the issue at hand. It’s always easier to deal with problems later on when you have a clear head.

Block, report, repeat

IG has a genius little feature that allows you to block any future accounts the user might create. Use it. It might feel like a game of whack-a-troll as they keep popping up, but keep going – if you’re not responding, they’ll get tired eventually.

Kill ‘em with kindness

If you have to respond, being feisty is a bit like scratching an itchy bite. Satisfying in the moment, but it’ll only make things worse (unless, of course, you’re Hilary Barry – in which case, “piss off Ken” is a perfectly suitable response).

Try to come from a place of understanding and respond with every crumb of kindness in your body - they won’t know what’s hit them. As long as you are genuinely being gracious, they won’t have a leg to stand on, but if they sense snarkiness or sarcasm, you’ll just set them off again.

Have some chocolate

Because it’s delicious and distracting. Or if chocolate’s not your go-to, we can recommend a bloody good Pinot that’ll do the trick. Even journos, celebs and big-time influencers who deal with haters on the daily can feel the sting of a troll attack so it’s perfectly understandable if you’re feeling pretty rubbish. Sticks and stones may break our bones but words can be particularly vicious – so be kind to yourself.

While it may seem never-ending in the moment, we assure you these things do blow over eventually. Try to learn from the situation and move on – and remember that the high road is a much nicer place to be than in the troll-trenches.