When Betty started high school, she was an optimistic girl who made friends easily. However, within a year, she turned into a shy mouse. She was afraid to speak to anyone and spent as much time as possible in her room. What happened to change her so much? The short answer is Internet trolls.
當 Betty 開始上高中時，她是個樂觀的女孩，很容易就能交到朋友。然而，在一年內，她變得很膽怯。害怕與任何人說話而且盡可能待在自己的房間裡。發生了什麼事讓她改變這麼多？簡短的答案就是網路酸民。
Originally, a troll was a fierce mythical monster from Northern Europe. These days, trolls are those who like to cause trouble online. At first, trolls were just people who enjoyed stirring up arguments on the Internet. Now, the meaning also includes online bullies, such as those who harmed Betty.
本來 troll 是指北歐兇猛的神話怪獸。最近則用來稱呼那些喜歡在網路上興風作浪的人。起初，酸民只是喜歡在網路引發爭執的人。現在它的定義也包含網路霸凌者，像是那些傷害 Betty 的人。
Betty used to post photos on social media to share with her family and friends. At first, everything was fine. Then she started receiving rude comments about her photos. Anonymous people began saying horrible things about her looks and interests. Betty tried blocking those who made negative comments, but they kept making new accounts and saying even worse things. Being harassed again and again by strangers made Betty depressed.
Betty 過去會在社群媒體發布照片跟親友分享。起初一切都很好。然後她開始收到關於她照片的無禮評論。匿名人士開始對她的外貌和興趣說些難聽的話。Betty 試著封鎖貼出負面評論的人，但是他們繼續換新的帳號，說出更惡毒的言論。一再被網路陌生人騷擾讓她覺得很沮喪。
Betty considered giving up social media. However, she decided to try and understand why the trolls wanted to hurt her. She read reports about cyberbullies, and found out that they target teenagers the most. Typical trolls lack self-esteem, so they attack other people to make themselves feel better or more powerful. Most of them hide behind anonymous usernames. Trolling helps them cope with their low self-esteem. Sometimes, they do not realize the hurt they cause when victims take their attacks personally. Reading harmful comments can lead to depression.
Betty 曾經考慮要放棄社群媒體。然而，她決定要試著了解為什麼這些酸民要傷害她。她看了關於網路惡霸的報導，發現他們最常攻擊青少年。典型的酸民缺乏自信，所以他們會攻擊別人，讓自己覺得比較舒服或強勢。他們大多都隱藏在匿名的使用者名稱之下。酸言酸語幫他們面對自己低落的自尊心。有時候他們並不了解自己所造成的傷害，當受害者認為這些攻擊是衝著他們而來。閱讀傷人的評論可能會導致憂鬱。
As Betty read more, she learned four steps she could take to defend herself against trolls. First, she blocked them. Now, people can see her photos and posts only with her permission. Second, she deleted unfriendly posts as soon as she saw them. Third, she reported trolls to the site managers, who could identify trolls and take further action to stop them. Fourth, she followed the golden rule: "Do not feed the trolls." That meant not responding to any of their comments. Engaging in discussion with trolls only made them want to hurt her more.
當 Betty 看了更多資訊，她學到可以採取四個步驟來保護自己不受到酸民傷害。首先，她封鎖了他們。現在只有她同意的人才能看到她的照片和貼文。其次，她一看到不友善的貼文就刪除。第三，她把酸民呈報給網站管理員，他們便能揪出酸民並且採取進一步行動來阻止他們。第四步就是遵守黃金法則：「不要養大酸民的胃口。」那意味著不要對他們的任何評論有回應。加入酸民的討論只會讓他們想傷害她更深。
Betty took these steps, and got rid of the trolls. They lost interest or were prevented from seeing her posts. Now, she has regained control of her social media presence, along with her optimism and confidence.
Betty 採取這些步驟擺脫了酸民。他們失去興趣，不然就是無法看到她的貼文了。現在，她已經重新掌控社群媒體，並且回到樂觀而自信的自己了。
