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Among Internet commentators there is a very special breed of people whose only goal is to piss off the interlocutor. They are called trolls. Why do they behave like this and how to communicate with them?
What motivates some Internet users to attack other commenters? Social psychologist Erin Bakkels of the University of Manitoba and her colleagues set out to find the answer to this question. The researchers found significant relationships between trolling propensity and the traits that make up the Dark Square. These are the traits:
- Machiavellianism – the desire to manipulate others and cheat;
- narcissism – extreme selfishness, obsession with one’s own person;
- psychopathy – lack of compassion and empathy;
- sadism is pleasure in the suffering of others.
Scientists have also established a relationship between the sides of the Dark Square (other than narcissism) and the total time an individual spends commenting online during the day. During the study, trolls were recognized in several ways.
The first way is an offline survey about what respondents like to do most on sites where they can comment online. Participants were given five response options:
- discuss articles that are important to you;
- chat with others;
- make new friends;
- troll;
- another.
And here’s how the different answers relate to other questions that match the Dark Square features:
The second was an online survey that included questions about trolling and other online behaviors. Some of the selected answers point to:
- direct sadism (“I like to hurt people”);
- indirect sadism (“I like realistic blood spurts in video games”);
- psychopathy (“Answers must be quick and vile”);
- Machiavellianism (“It’s foolish to tell your secrets”);
- narcissism (“I was compared to celebrities”).
Only 5,6% of survey participants noted that they like to “troll”. By comparison, 41,3% of web users are “non-commentators,” meaning they are not active online at all. So trolls, as is commonly assumed, are a minority of online commentators and even a minority of the total number of Internet users.
Who is the most likely to become a troll?
To understand why trolling is so attractive to this type of personality, the scientists created their own research tool, which they called the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling (or GAIT). It contains the following statements:
- “I gave links to shocking sites just for fun.”
- “I like to troll people on the forums or in the comments.”
- “I enjoy spoiling the game for other online gamers.”
- “The more beautiful and pure the thing, the more pleasant it is to spoil it.”
Yes, some agree with these statements. Again, this behavior correlates with various forms of sadism, psychopathy, or Machiavellianism.
Researchers have established a relationship between trolling and sadism: sadists often become trolls because they enjoy causing trouble to others. “Both trolls and sadists experience sadistic joy in hurting others,” says Erin Buckels. “Sadists just want to have fun… and the internet is their playground!”
Many Internet resources, such as YouTube, are taking action against trolls: in particular, they turn off comments or turn on pre-moderation. However, Bakkels is not sure that these measures are effective:
“It will not be easy for moderators who are trying to contain trolls with punishments (for example, by banning them), because for sadists, trolling is an internally motivated behavior. Ultimately, trolling may be too attractive for sadists, whose ability to express their inclinations in a socially acceptable way is very limited.
Why are they called trolls?
There are two versions of the origin of this name in relation to network provocateurs. The first is that it is borrowed from Scandinavian myths and fairy tales, in which the troll is a supernatural creature with a bad temper and a repulsive appearance.
The second version traces it back to the English verb “to trawl”, which means “to catch with a net”. The troll “catches the attention” it needs so badly that it is ready to enjoy the anger and disgust it causes in other participants.
How to recognize a troll
In order to immediately recognize the provocateur and thereby maintain peace of mind, it is useful to know some of the tricks that network trolls use. Yes, troll.
- expresses an opinion that obviously contradicts what has already been written in the comments before him;
- speaks out of essence;
- twists your words and ascribes to you what you did not say;
- misinterprets your intentions;
- gets personal, points out your shortcomings to you;
- uses profanity, insults;
- tries to show his superiority;
- ignores any reasonable arguments.
How to deal with trolls
If, due to a remark on the Web, you have:
- takes your breath away
- tears flow,
- increased heart rate,
if you suddenly experience anger, disgust, indignation, complete confusion, impotent rage,
it is highly likely that this remark was made in the order of trolling – a deliberate provocation.
If possible, the troll should be banned immediately. If a ban is not possible, the only sensible response is to completely ignore his comments and not engage in communication with him. The problem is that emotions are running high and need to be released. However, it is most effective to resolve them not on the Web, but offline – using stress management techniques.