If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- How did everyday internet memes, like LOLcats, originate as exclusive inside jokes within early online troll communities?
- In what ways do the seemingly cruel actions of 'RIPtrolls' actually serve as a dark social commentary on mainstream media and 'grief tourism'?
- How have activists and even government agencies successfully weaponized traditional trolling tactics to drive political change and combat violent extremists?
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Key Takeaways from This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
- Trolling is often driven by the pursuit of 'Lulz,' an aggressive form of humor that extracts pleasure from the negative emotional reactions of its targets.
- Mainstream internet culture, including the widespread use of memes, originated directly from the unique languages and inside jokes developed by early troll subcultures on sites like 4chan.
- Some provocative trolling behaviors, like mocking public memorial pages, simultaneously act as harsh critiques of media sensationalism and performative public grief.
- Trolls and mainstream media operate on surprisingly similar principles, as both aggressively capitalize on high-profile spectacles to achieve their respective goals.
- The disruptive tactics of trolling are not exclusively malicious and have been successfully co-opted for progressive activism, such as saving public libraries and undermining violent extremists.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Mind Map
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Definition & Motivation
Core Concept
The Lulz
Behavioral Spectrum
History & Evolution
Early Internet (1992)
Mid-2000s Subculture
Birth of Memes
Mainstream Success
RIPtrolls & Social Commentary
The Phenomenon
Critiquing Grief Tourists
Critiquing Media
The Blurry Line
Trolls vs. Mainstream Media
Shared Tactics
Divergent Goals
Symbiotic Relationship
Activism & Real-World Impact
Project Chanology
Civic Campaigns
Government Adoption
Societal Reflection
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 7
What is the primary motivation for the specific subculture of internet trolls discussed in the book?
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Trolling takes many forms, but usually it means posting intentionally hurtful or provocative opinions on the internet.
Chapter 3: Once seen as a problem, trolling in the 2000s evolved into a thriving online subculture.
Chapter 4: RIPtrolls illustrate the thin boundary between trolling’s cruelty and social critique.
Chapter 5: Trolls behave in ways that are surprisingly similar to mainstream media outlets.
Chapter 6: Trolling has spread beyond the web and even seeped into political life.
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Summary & Overview
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things (2015) explores the subculture of trolling: where it came from, who does it, why they do it and what exactly it is they do. The book examines the blurred line between a malicious online attack and revealing social commentary, and shows how trolling and mainstream culture have come to form a close bond.
Who Should Listen to This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things?
- Victims of internet trolling
- Critics of traditional media
- Anyone interested in internet subcultures
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