I was a teenage "lolcow"

This article from boing boing on the continuing development of GG and 8chan is very scary and interesting. 

(http://boingboing.net/2015/01/19/invasion-boards-set-out-to-rui.html) 

One of the things that interests me is the critical framework that these bullies are building around their behaviour. For example:

A "lolcow" is who I was between the ages of 12 and when I finally got into the moderate safety of the 6th Form (I didn't fully shake it till I left school). Walking around the school for most other kids I was just a way to generate lulz, and responding with retreat, fear or defiance were all adequate responses. I always gave them what they wanted: a reaction. 

At the height of my bullying experiences an actual in person suicide threat was met with more goading for lulz. So I can't begin to imagine how a awful it can get online where bullies are removed and abstracted from the people they are attacking. Especially as online becomes offline too with this horrible practice of doxxing. I am so glad I was bullied before Facebook existed as it meant I could escape it for some of the time. 

Bullying is never offline though. It is always at it's worse inside the  "lolcows" head. Where it can't be turned off.