How to Stop Caring About Trolls and Get On With Your Life![](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--X7AdH1X_--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/fg4nivt6tx4y5bbzvr6e.jpg)
You see them everywhere you go on the internet: anonymous users with nothing to say but rude, off-topic, or annoying comments designed to make you angry. The only cure is to just stop caring, and while that's easier said than done, these tips should help you overcome their spell.
The word "trolling" actually comes from a fishing technique in which one casts out bait to catch fish—and that's exactly what internet trolls do. They use rude statements and other techniques to try to "lure" you into getting angry or responding. Their only goal is to get you angry—just like your sibling used to do when they'd poke you or repeat everything you said. Often, they latch onto powerful individuals, in order to feel more powerful themselves.
Trolling on the internet started on Usenet newsgroups back in the day, but now you see them everywhere—internet forums, blogs, YouTube, and even Twitter. The problem is now that in today's day and age, all of us are subject to trolling—not just those powerful enough to have their own blogs. This means that ignoring them becomes a lot more difficult, since you're far more emotionally invested in the things you do and say, and the trolls have that many more mediums to attack you. Here are a few key things that will help build up your thick skin and help you stop caring about what pesky bridge-dwellers are saying on the internet. Photo remixed from an original by Peter Bernik .