Taking the Temperature of Internet Trolls

KTTV Fox 11 anchor Jeff Michael shared a report this week about the ongoing problem of Internet trolls, people who devote their time and energy to defaming and insulting others via the Web.

One victim, Progenex CEO Darren Meade, claimed that a business competitor hired a “professional” troll to defame him. Sure enough, if you Google Meade’s name, the dominant results point to all sorts of very personal sounding attacks.

Michael also touched base with 21-year-old Orlando based entertainer Ashley Carey, infamous for a parody YouTube video posted in response to being trolled. “The Internet is making people more and more and more egocentric,” Carey tells Michael. “That always comes at a price. And that price is the complete disregard for empathy and sympathy.”

Predictably, trolls have shown up in the comments to the MyFoxLA.com piece. At press time, there are a number of offensive and spam-like remarks, including some faint fan praise for self-proclaimed Queen of the Trolls “Boxxy.”