Also, one of the benefits of the internet is that it is more easily accessible to different types of users. If younger individuals, for example, witness such speech without also witnessing the social response couldn't this negatively affect their behavior down the road in real life? We might also ask if we would simply ignore such behavior if it were occurring on the sidewalk in front of us? If not, why? Is the impact of the behavior on society or on the receiver any less damaging online?

Companies like Youtube have already begun to consider possible solutions. One optional new policy prompts users to change their username to their real name. Such measures perhaps assume that individuals who will elect to post identifying information may be less likely to troll. It might be useful for sites to go a step further and give users the option to only see posts from users who choose to identify themselves. While steps such as those above are unlikely to eliminate trolling, it may help users distinguish such behavior from other types of expression— such as art or simply controversial opinions—and may also enhance freedom of speech by reducing the efficacy of the movement by some to try to ban trolling altogether.