Online trolls are an unfortunate reality of the web. The combination of simple publishing tools (forums, blogs etc) and total anonymity creates the perfect breeding ground for keyboard warriors to flourish. Almost every online community experiences some form of trolling behaviour. And the Australian media/marketing community is no different. Indeed, we have our very own type of troll, which I have entitled the Snarcissist.
The snarcissist is an ugly little character. Chock full of snark and an inflated sense of self-importance, he lurks within marketing communities such as Mumbrella and Campaign Brief, waiting for any opportunity to impart his superior marketing intellect. You can spot a snarcissist from a mile away. Just look for the following character traits:
- The snarcissist is a visionary, blessed with the unique talent of being able to forecast the human response of every possible message/campaign/scenario (in hindsight of course…)
- The snarcissist cares not for solutions. What’s important is identifying faults!
- The snarcissist is a master of all trades, being able to provide expert commentary on any campaign regardless of industry, budget, client brief or audience (as if they matter anyway…!!)
- The snarcissist is immensely humble, preferring to remain anonymous most of the time, instead of taking credit for his insightful commentary
- The snarcissist is a master of time management, managing to juggle a (supposed) full-time professional career with a part-time trolling habit
So where exactly will you find the snarcissist? I’m glad you asked. Just head over to the local trade press to find him pulling apart the latest campaigns. Here’s just a few recent examples:
- A swarm of snarcissists took aim at the recent Tourism Australia campaign
- Bakers Delight was baked itself on Campaign Brief for producing a TVC ‘as bland as their bread’
- A Channel 9 TV ad was crucified, albeit in a blatant case of plagiarism. Was the criticism justified? Perhaps. But the self indulgent snark… Perhaps not!
So what are we to do with the dreaded snarcissist? Well one thing’s for sure… he certainly ain’t going away any time soon. Indeed, the curse of the snarcissist goes back as far as 2006, when rumblings of his unsociable behaviour first began to emerge. Four years on and he’s just as prevalent as ever, if not more so with the rise and rise of Mumbrella. So I’m afraid we’re just going to have to learn to live with the little bugger. Ho hum!
With that in mind, here are a few practical tips for living in a world with our snarcissistic friends:
- Don’t feed the troll! Wherever possible, avoid entering into debate with the bastard, regardless of the stupidity of his opinion. He feeds off conflict and craves the reaction. Employ the Simpsons mantra – “Just don’t look“.
- If you absolutely can’t ignore the snarcissist (ie. they’re attacking your campaign), challenge them to submit their own campaign/message for consideration. Independent thought ain’t their forte, so a challenge like this is likely to send him running!
- And if all else fails… build a bridge! Trolls love em, and it’ll help you get over it!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting insight James!
What gets me about the ‘snarcissist’ is the anonymity, if they have such a strong opinion they should be prepared to back it up with a name at least, if not a link!
As much as I love mumbrella these guys are turning it into a nasty atmosphere, with nothing good to say most of the time. And they never prove their brilliance by providing an alternative strategy or execution.
As for campaign brief, I avoid that minefield altogether!
Yup. The anonymity is the killer. Pretty weak really considering the sniper approach that they apply. It’s a shame because Mumbrella was one of my fav sites when it first launched. It still produces relatively good content, but the trolls have detracted from credibility of the site for me.
techcrunch is similar, but i love it! you get a lot of smart ass comments and even the writers join it, and occassionally some heavyweights in the industry leave comments. really cool, i guess there’s a mixture of snark + insight + banter.
If you want to see where snarcissists are actually born & bred…head on over to Digg.
@Matt – No doubt the snark factor can be entertaining and amusing at times. But when it becomes a predominant sentiment, it annoys me.
@Connor – Indeed. I’ve certainly seen snarcissistic behaviour at Digg, and likewise YouTube can be one of the most poisonous environments on the web. Wherever you find a large crowd forming on the web, you’ll find snarcissists.
You’re right chage challenging them to submit their own ideas and suggestions. Far easier to tear down someone else’s ideas than actually come with your own.
Great new term, I really appreciate the write up surrounding it, too. It sounds like I know a few snarcissists.
As much as I love mumbrella these guys are turning it into a nasty atmosphere, with nothing good to say most of the time. And they never prove their brilliance by providing an alternative strategy or execution.
Plenty of them on The Daily Relegraph on Phil Rothfields League Blog! It’s like bears to honey!
Best thing is, Phil just hangs shit on most fo them if they leave snarcissistic (is that teh right term?) comments.
Snarcissist’s are the evidence that opinions are like assholes … everyone has one. Thing is, not everyone has something worth saying (but not a lot you can do about that unless you want to moderate comments).
sorry, I meant Telegraph … I must sound like the dog of the Jetsons!
What do you expect from League supporters Oyst? I’m actually surprised they can write… There’s plenty of snarcissists on the Essendon Footy club’s web site as well. Sport attracts the best and worst types of people. There’s probably a 50/50 split on most sports blogs I read.