What causes a LOLcow?

[exball]

Giving internet access to a sperg.

 

[Ti-99/4A]

Deinstitutionalization.

 

[RetardBus]

Well, let's see, shall we?

* Parents who just don't give a shit and shelter their child to no end
* Mental disorders such as Autism or Aspergers going untreated
* Little to no proper socialization in real life
* Is always insulted by any form of criticism or advice no matter how kind or helpful it is
* Is extremely creepy towards the opposite sex or whomever they're attracted to
* Lack of independence and important life skills
* Living with parents beyond an appropriate age as a result of the above
* Inability or outright refusal to take responsibility for their actions or anything
* Unmonitored internet usage at a young age
* Very unhealthy obsessions, most often with movies, video games, TV shows, comics, toys, cartoons etc.
* Gets their idea of what the outside world is like through television, video games, movies, cartoons, and other forms of pop culture

What is also extremely common is someone who is someone who lacks a social filter (AKA a concept of what is and isn't appropriate to talk about with your peers), and is way too open about their kinks and sexual fetishes, which more than often grosses others out, scares away people who they're interested in, and attracts tons of trolls. Being madly in love with fictional characters or celebrities is by no means uncommon either.

 

[Grey]

Poor self control is one of the core issues, I reckon.

EDIT: I also think pure chance is a factor that can't be dismissed. A lot of LOLcows I'm aware of were picked up by the Internet/trolls through a coincidence or series of coincidental events that led to their status as a 'LOLcow' and in turn further exposure/trolling. Admittedly in today's networked, connected world the chances of detection and exposure for persons with the traits described in this thread will only go up, but without that first event that brings them into the wider view of the online community, there would be no LOLcow.

 

[Pine Tar]

Well, let's see, shall we?

* Parents who just don't give a shit and shelter their child to no end
* Mental disorders such as Autism or Aspergers going untreated
* Little to no proper socialization in real life
* Is always insulted by any form of criticism or advice no matter how kind or helpful it is
* Is extremely creepy towards the opposite sex or whomever they're attracted to
* Lack of independence and important life skills
* Living with parents beyond an appropriate age as a result of the above
* Inability or outright refusal to take responsibility for their actions or anything
* Unmonitored internet usage at a young age
* Very unhealthy obsessions, most often with movies, video games, TV shows, comics, toys, cartoons etc.
* Gets their idea of what the outside world is like through television, video games, movies, cartoons, and other forms of pop culture

What is also extremely common is someone who is someone who lacks a social filter (AKA a concept of what is and isn't appropriate to talk about with your peers), and is way too open about their kinks and sexual fetishes, which more than often grosses others out, scares away people who they're interested in, and attracts tons of trolls. Being madly in love with fictional characters or celebrities is by no means uncommon either.

Aye, the part about sexual fetishes is all too true. It doesn't help that a lot of these people have a stated policy of "If you don't like, don't look/comment" which only serves to attract trolls even more. It really doesn't help that a lot of them are waifufags.

 

[Grey]

Aye, the part about sexual fetishes is all too true. It doesn't help that a lot of these people have a stated policy of "If you don't like, don't look/comment" which only serves to attract trolls even more. It really doesn't help that a lot of them are waifufags.

I wonder if it's the fandom* that creates the LOLcow, or if it's the LOLcow that's attracted to the fandom.

*'Fandom' here applies to any interest that a majority of LOLcows appear to gravitate to, or which has a disproportionately large number of LOLcows as part of its membership.

 

[Strewth]

Oh man, if ever a situation called for a Venn diagram...

 

[Pine Tar]

Aye, the part about sexual fetishes is all too true. It doesn't help that a lot of these people have a stated policy of "If you don't like, don't look/comment" which only serves to attract trolls even more. It really doesn't help that a lot of them are waifufags.

I wonder if it's the fandom* that creates the LOLcow, or if it's the LOLcow that's attracted to the fandom.

*'Fandom' here applies to any interest that a majority of LOLcows appear to gravitate to, or which has a disproportionately large number of LOLcows as part of its membership.

Probably a little of both. Lolcows are already socially off people, so somewhere that will accept them based on what they like appeals to them greatly. On the other hand, hugboxing behavior tends to amplify negative traits and as such, the Lolcow is created.

 

[Linako 2.0]

Notice how Lolcows only appear in first world countries, specifically in the suburbs of the middleclass with basic access to internet.
the lolcow will sometimes come from bad parenting, or they just don't know how to control their kid and his eccentric behaviors.
these children will also tend to be pretty sheltered.

 

[RetardBus]

Something that relates to bad parenting is the child being diagnosed with say, Aspergers or some other form of High-Functioning Autism. Since the parents have little to no knowledge about these mental disorders and proper treatment for them, they automatically assume that their child is mentally retarded and give up on them. They get the mentality that mollycoddling their child through their life, isolating them from society, and buying them whatever toy or video game they ask for just to shut them up is the only thing they can do for their offspring at this point.

As a result, the child never learns to become independent and almost always lives with their parents beyond an appropriate age because of this, never developing proper social skills and thinking that the outside world is exactly like what television and Saturday morning cartoons portray it as. Since the parents think that their child will amount to nothing and don't bother to try and help them whatsoever, they almost never monitor their child's internet usage, which causes their child to stumble upon all kinds of communities catering to fans of their favorite media, behaving bizarrely and making an ass of themselves within one of these communities more and more until they get noticed by internet trolls and become a LOLcow. The extent of their online infamy only grows the longer they continue their antics and never get the idea that responding to trolls as often as they do is a major part of what causes the mockery to never seem to end.

 

[Ouija Board]

You know what? I could be an lolcow... I share a lot of traits with them however, I know not to act strange in public, let alone on the Internet. My mom did the best she could to raise me and she wasn't one to coddle me or my sister. She got on me about behaviors that weren't appropriate. I think I have mentioned that I have Asperger's here on the forums; can't remember and I have social problems and I think that is one of the biggest things with lolcows. Perhaps they are lonely and want attention so they seek out attention in the way they know how, which is on the Internet. Though that isn't always the right choice obviously, also, perhaps they feel that the Internet is their only way to communicate to the world about the things that interest them.

As for parenting, I think that RetardBus summed it up well, some parents don't know how to deal with kids with handicaps. My mom worked with disabled people and thus she knew somewhat how to deal with me as there were no resources out there to help with me and that's another issue; some parents don't have or don't know of any resources to help with dealing with a developmentally disabled kid or there isn't any resources available.

I don't know, all I can give is my perspectives on them.

 

[Bridechu]

To me, the number one lolcow trait is a lack of self-awareness, because a lot flows from that. A person can be insane, disgusting, stupid, anything... But if they're aware these things are abnormal, they will try to hide them, not flaunt them.

I've been chatting on and off with what I believe is the only girl in the whole "I'm actually dating a pony" mess centered around the infamous Jin15. And she's just not a lolcow because she's aware of how weird it is and downplays it. Getting information about her "girlfriend" is like pulling teeth, whereas Jin posts pictures of him fucking a tied-up plushie at the drop of a hat because he doesn't have the self-awareness not to.