This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Internet trolls live to upset as many people as possible, using all the technical and psychological tools at their disposal. Trolling is the obstacle to a kinder, gentler Internet. To quote a famous Internet meme, trolling is why we cant have nice things online. Or at least thats what we have been led to believe. In this provocative book, Whitney Phillips argues that trolling, widely condemned as obscene and deviant, actually fits comfortably within the contemporary media landscape. Trolling may be obscene, but, Phillips argues, it isnt all that deviant. Trolls actions are born of and fueled by culturally sanctioned impulses - which are just as damaging as the trolls most disruptive behaviors.