Trolling Behavior Research Articles

Is high exposure to antisocial media content associated with increased participation in malicious online trolling? exploring the moderated mediation model of hostile attribution bias and empathy

Malicious online trolling is prevalent among Chinese college students and has recently garnered extensive attention from researchers due to the substantial harm it causes to the victims and the damage it inflicts on the online environment. Most previous studies have focused on examining how personal traits related to malicious online trolling. Further comprehensive research is needed to explore the mechanisms linking external environmental factors (antisocial media exposure) and malicious online trolling. A total of 1259 Chinese college students completed questionnaires regarding malicious online trolling, antisocial media exposure, hostile attribution bias, and empathy. The results indicated a positive association between antisocial media exposure and malicious online trolling among Chinese college students, with hostile attribution bias serving as a mediating factor. Furthermore, the direct and mediated paths between antisocial media exposure and malicious online trolling were moderated by empathy. Specifically, as the level of empathy increased among college students, the relations between the variables all weakened. Excessive exposure to antisocial media content among college students may trigger hostile attribution bias and lead to more malicious online trolling behavior. However, the relation between antisocial media exposure and malicious online trolling, hostile attribution bias and malicious online trolling, was attenuated when college students’ empathy levels were high.

From Trolling Victimization to Reactive Trolling: Moderated Mediation Effects of Online Disinhibition and Motivations

Online trolling behavior is becoming prevalent and has received increasing attention. Although few qualitative studies demonstrated that victims of online trolling are more likely to troll others, quantitative evidence examining such a phenomenon is lacking. Drawing on the general aggression model, this study aimed to investigate how trolling victimization affects reactive trolling behaviors and the roles of two motivations (i.e., revenge and social recognition) and online disinhibition during the process. Results from an online survey in China ( N = 626) showed that online trolling victimization was positively associated with online reactive trolling and this relationship was mediated by revenge and social recognition motivations. Additionally, the indirect effect of trolling victimization on reactive trolling via revenge motivation was more pronounced when individuals had higher levels of online disinhibition. The findings of the study extend the existing literature on online trolling and provide insights into the mitigation of online trolling behaviors.

The differential effect of psychopathy on active and bystander trolling behaviors: the role of dark tetrad traits and lower agreeableness.

This study aimed to develop the Global Assessment of Active Trolling and Passive Bystanderism (GAATPB) scale and investigate the influence of personality traits on trolling behaviors. Focusing on the Dark Tetrad (DT) traits and agreeableness, the present study examined their associations and predictive utility on active trolling and passive bystanderism. Participants were recruited from social networking sites (SNSs), and eligibility criteria included active SNS usage and engagement in online interactions. A total of 797 healthy adult students participated in the study, with data from 300 used for the initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the remaining 497 (Mage = 22.25years, SD = 3.37) for the subsequent analyses. Results indicated a significant correlation between DT traits and agreeableness across both active trolling and passive bystanderism, revealing a shared personality profile. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that narcissism, Machiavellianism, and trait sadism were predictors of active trolling, with psychopathy being the strongest predictor. However, psychopathy did not emerge as a predictor for passive bystanderism. The study also highlighted that DT traits mediated the relationship between lower agreeableness and overall trolling behavior, suggesting that trolling manifests from lower agreeableness through the instigation of callous-unemotional, manipulative, and self-centered traits inherent in DT.

Are narcissists trolls? A cross-sectional study about aggression, trolling behavior, narcissism, and the moderating role of self-esteem

Whether in social media, in news services, or via instant messaging systems - in places where people communicate online, one can occasionally encounter internet trolls. Trolls are real people, who engage in destructive, aggressive, or disruptive behavior online, usually under the protection of anonymity. In this cross-sectional study the relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, self-esteem, aggression, and trolling behavior was investigated on the basis of four assumptions. To test the hypotheses, data from 149 participants were analyzed. The results indicated that aggression and trolling behavior were positively related. Significant positive correlations of both forms of narcissism with aggression and trolling behavior were obtained. Finally, the extent to which self-esteem exhibits a moderating influence on the association between narcissism and trolling was examined. Specifically, high self-esteem was shown to weaken the correlation between narcissism and trolling behavior. Therefore, high self-esteem neutralized the unfavorable impact of high narcissism on trolling. The findings may serve to better understand the personality structure of trolls and the psychological mechanisms involved in their internet trolling behavior.

Psychometric properties of the Intimate Partner Cyberstalking Scale in Argentinean adults

Intimate partner cyberstalking is associated with significant psychosocial, economic, and legal costs for both victims and perpetrators. However, despite these significant negative outcomes, there is a paucity in instruments designed to measure this behavior. Further, many of the measures lack validation and psychometric exploration. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Intimate Partner Cyberstalking Scale (IPCS; Smoker & March, 2017). For this purpose, 595 adults of both genders (32% male; Mage = 30.08) were recruited in Argentina. Participants completed the IPCS-scale, a measure of internet trolling behavior, Dark Triad Personality scale, questions regarding use of new technologies, and demographic items. Both exploratory factor and confirmatory analyses yielded an adequate two-factor structure of the IPCS - scale (a dimension of indirect-direct cyberstalking and a dimension of indirect behaviors) with adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas were .85 and 89, respectively). McDonald’s consistency and composite reliability were satisfactory as well. Concurrent validity was established with measures of trolling and the use of new technologies. Also, it was detected that these variables, along with gender and dark personality, were predictors of cyberstalking. Overall, results of the current project indicate the IPCS-scale is a valid and reliable measure of assessing both direct and indirect intimate partner cyberstalking behavior in Argentina.

Motivations for Proactive and Reactive Trolling on Social Media: Developing and Validating a Four-Factor Model

This study proposed a novel typology that categorized online trolling into proactive and reactive types and conducted two studies employing qualitative and quantitative approaches to better understand the motivations behind these two types of trolling. Study 1 surveyed participants who had engaged in trolling ( N = 90) and identified four motivations for online trolling through an inductive qualitative analysis: revenge, maintaining social justice, rebutting for disagreement, and thrill-seeking. Study 2 developed scales to measure the four trolling motivations and validated them through another survey of participants who had engaged in trolling ( N = 455). The quantitative results supported the four-factor motivation of trolling and the proactive–reactive trolling scale. Structural equation modeling revealed that thrill-seeking and rebutting for disagreement were positively associated with proactive trolling, whereas revenge and maintaining social justice were positively associated with reactive trolling. These findings contribute to establishing theoretical connections between varying motivations and the two types of trolling behaviors and serve as practical guidelines for developing tailored strategies to reduce and regulate online trolling.

Comparing shades of darkness: trolling victims' experiences on social media vs. online gaming.

Although there is ample literature available on toxicity in games, as there is regarding trolling on social media, there are few to no cross-platform studies on toxicity and trolling. In other words, the extant literature focuses on one platform at a time instead of comparing and contrasting them. The present work aims to rectify this gap by analyzing interviews from a larger study of 22 self-proclaimed victims of in-game trolling to not only determine whether social media or gaming communities are considered more toxic but also to explore how definitions of the word 'trolling' change depending on the platform in question. We found that while definitions of in-game trolling behavior focused on behavioral styles of trolling (e.g., throwing one's avatar into enemy fire to disadvantage one's team, and blocking other players' avatars' movement), social media trolling is defined by more sinister actions such as misinformation spreading and 'canceling' other users. We also found that gaming is perceived as generally more toxic than social media, often due to company policies or lack thereof. Practical and theoretical implications for the study of toxicity in all online communities - gaming or social-media based - are discussed.

Personality and internet trolling: a validation study of a Representative Sample

To date, characteristics of the internet “troll” have largely been explored in general community samples, which may lack representation of the sample of interest. In this brief report, we aimed to evidence the role of gender and the personality traits of sadism, psychopathy, extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness in a sample of individuals who self-report having perpetrating trolling behaviours. Participants (N = 163; 50.3% women; Mage = 27.35, SD = 8.78) were recruited via social media advertisements and completed an anonymous online questionnaire. The variables explained 55.5% of variance in trolling. We found self-reported trolls were more likely to be men and have higher psychopathy, higher sadism, and lower agreeableness. Findings of this representative sample have implications for understanding, managing, and preventing this antisocial online behaviour.

An exploration of trolling behaviours in Australian adolescents: An online survey.

To understand why people "troll" (i.e., engage in disruptive online behaviour intended to provoke and distress for one's own amusement), researchers have explored a range of individual differences. These studies have primarily been conducted in adult samples, despite adolescents being a particularly vulnerable group with regards to both being trolled and trolling others. In this study we aimed to (1) explore Australian adolescents' experiences of trolling, and (2) replicate adult research that has constructed a psychological profile of the Internet troll by examining the utility of personality traits (psychopathy and sadism), self-esteem, empathy (cognitive and affective), and social rewards (negative social potency) to predict adolescents' trolling behaviours. A sample of 157 Australian adolescents (40.8% male, 58% female, 0.6% non-binary) aged 13-18 years (M = 15.58, SD = 1.71) completed the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling-Revised, Adolescent Measure of Empathy and Sympathy, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Youth Psychopathy Traits Inventory-Short Version, Social Rewards Questionnaire, Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, and a series of questions related to the experience of trolling. Results showed in the past year, 24.2% of Australian adolescents reported being trolled and 13.4% reported having trolled others. Gender, psychopathy, sadism, self-esteem, cognitive empathy, affective empathy, and "negative social potency" (i.e., enjoyment of antisocial rewards) combined, explained 30.7% of variance in adolescents' trolling behaviours (p < .001). When accounting for shared variance, gender (male), high psychopathy, and high negative social potency were significant predictors of trolling, aligning with findings of adult samples. Contrary to adult samples, sadism was not a unique predictor of adolescents' trolling. For adolescents, the variance in trolling explained by sadism was nonsignificant when controlling for negative social potency. These similarities, and differences, in predictors of trolling across adult and adolescent samples may play a critical role in the development of targeted interventions to prevent or manage trolling.

Trolling, the Dark Tetrad, and the four-facet spectrum of narcissism

Trolling is an antisocial online behavior that involves the aggressive provocation of others by causing conflict for the “troll's” own personal amusement. In the current study, we explore the utility of the facets of narcissism (agentic, communal, antagonistic, and neurotic) to predict perpetration of trolling, over and above the variance explained by gender, psychopathy, and sadism. We hypothesised that men would troll more than women, that psychopathy, sadism, and antagonistic narcissism would be positive predictors, and agentic, communal, and neurotic narcissism would be negative predictors. Participants (N = 444; 66 % women, 34 % men; Mage = 34.95, SD = 14.84) were recruited via social media (i.e., Facebook) and Cloud Research to complete an anonymous, online questionnaire that comprised measures of personality and trolling behaviors. Results partially supported the hypothesis, with men, people with high psychopathy, and people with high sadism perpetrating more trolling. Unexpectedly, people with high communal narcissism and neurotic narcissism perpetrated more trolling. Antagonistic narcissism and agentic narcissism were nonsignificant predictors. These findings implicate the utility of exploring the facets of narcissism and provide important information regarding the psychological profile of trolls.

How I learned to hate you. Parasocial interactions in echo chambers and their spillover effects

This article analyzes the most influential posts on Facebook related to COVID-19, for the first two years of the pandemic, to explain how parasocial opinion leaders created echo chambers, in the Romanian public sphere, and to discuss the cumulative spillover effects these echo chambers had on society at large. A database of the 233,242 most influential posts in Romanian about COVID-19, from the first two years of the pandemic, is investigated using a mixed methods approach, to 1) verify statistically if issue-related echo chambers existed and 2) to describe, qualitatively, how they functioned. A special focus is devoted to trolling in the form of reactions to posts, such as haha reactions for messages about COVID-related deaths. Using the literature on parasocial interaction, inoculation theory, online disinhibition effect and echo chambers, the article shows how echo chambers supported trolling behavior, for radicalized Facebook users, how they polluted the public discussion and how they made dialog impossible for social groups that ended up identifying each other as the enemy. Based on these research results, the author proposes two policy recommendations for social platforms.

Troll story: The dark tetrad and online trolling revisited with a glance at humor.

Internet trolling is considered a negative form of online interaction that can have detrimental effects on people's well-being. This pre-registered, experimental study had three aims: first, to replicate the association between internet users' online trolling behavior and the Dark Tetrad of personality (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) established in prior research; second, to investigate the effect of experiencing social exclusion on people's motivation to engage in trolling behavior; and third, to explore the link between humor styles and trolling behavior. In this online study, participants were initially assessed on their personality, humor styles, and global trolling behavior. Next, respondents were randomly assigned to a social inclusion or exclusion condition. Thereafter, we measured participants' immediate trolling motivation. Results drawn from 1,026 German-speaking participants indicate a clear correlation between global trolling and all facets of the Dark Tetrad as well as with aggressive and self-defeating humor styles. However, no significant relationship between experiencing exclusion/inclusion and trolling motivation emerged. Our quantile regression findings suggest that psychopathy and sadism scores have a significant positive effect on immediate trolling motivation after the experimental manipulation, whereas Machiavellianism and narcissism did not explain variation in trolling motivation. Moreover, being socially excluded had generally no effect on immediate trolling motivation, apart from participants with higher immediate trolling motivation, for whom the experience of social exclusion actually reduced trolling motivation. We show that not all facets of the Dark Tetrad are of equal importance for predicting immediate trolling motivation and that research should perhaps focus more on psychopathy and sadism. Moreover, our results emphasize the relevance of quantile regression in personality research and suggest that even psychopathy and sadism may not be suitable predictors for low levels of trolling behavior.

Psychopathy, impulsivity, and internet trolling: role of aggressive humour

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is first to conduct the reliability and validity analyses of the Turkish adaptation of the online trolling scale. The second aim is to examine online trolling behaviour in the context of psychopathy, which is one of the personality traits of the dark triad. In the first phase, the iTroll Questionnaire was adapted to Turkish. Two hundred thirty-four university students participated in the first part of the study. At this phase, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis showed that all items of the scale were coherent and fit with the model. The results show that the scale is a reliable and valid measure. The second phase aims to investigate the mediating effect of aggressive humour on the relationship between impulsivity and iTrolling. Two hundred sixty-one adults participated in the second phase of the study. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the mediator role. The results demonstrate that aggressive humour mediates the relationship among psychopathy, impulsivity, and iTrolling. As a result, it appears critical to make trolls aware of the consequences of their actions, as impulsivity and aggressive humour contribute to trolling behaviour.

Sarcastic and Deviant Trolling in Turkey: Associations With Dark Triad and Aggression

The aim of this study is twofold. First, this study develops a new scale measuring sarcastic trolling and investigates the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Troll Deviancy Scale. Second, this study explores the associations among different trolling measures, dark triad, and overt and relational aggression. Eight items measuring sarcasm in trolling were written to develop a Likert type of scale. In total, 809 university students participated in the study and completed an online questionnaire. Findings suggested that both the sarcastic trolling scale and the Turkish version of the Troll Deviancy Scales are valid and reliable. Analyses showed that there were significant associations among trolling measures. Moreover, the differential predictive value of dark personality traits and overt and relational aggression in different forms of trolling were revealed. This study extends the existing literature on linking personality traits and aggression to a new form of trolling. Moreover, this study focused on a non-Western culture to examine different forms of trolling behaviors.

Promoting and countering misinformation during Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfires: a case study of polarisation

During Australia’s unprecedented bushfires in 2019–2020, misinformation blaming arson surfaced on Twitter using #ArsonEmergency. The extent to which bots and trolls were responsible for disseminating and amplifying this misinformation has received media scrutiny and academic research. Here, we study Twitter communities spreading this misinformation during the newsworthy event, and investigate the role of online communities using a natural experiment approach—before and after reporting of bots promoting the hashtag was broadcast by the mainstream media. Few bots were found, but the most bot-like accounts were social bots, which present as genuine humans, and trolling behaviour was evident. Further, we distilled meaningful quantitative differences between two polarised communities in the Twitter discussion, resulting in the following insights. First, Supporters of the arson narrative promoted misinformation by engaging others directly with replies and mentions using hashtags and links to external sources. In response, Opposers retweeted fact-based articles and official information. Second, Supporters were embedded throughout their interaction networks, but Opposers obtained high centrality more efficiently despite their peripheral positions. By the last phase, Opposers and unaffiliated accounts appeared to coordinate, potentially reaching a broader audience. Finally, the introduction of the bot report changed the discussion dynamic: Opposers only responded immediately, while Supporters countered strongly for days, but new unaffiliated accounts drawn into the discussion shifted the dominant narrative from arson misinformation to factual and official information. This foiled Supporters’ efforts, highlighting the value of exposing misinformation. We speculate that the communication strategies observed here could inform counter-strategies in other misinformation-related discussions.

Cybervictimization, Social, and Financial Strains Influence Internet Trolling Behaviors: A General Strain Theory Perspective

Internet trolling is a form of online aggression that can have negative psychological effects on its victims. This study examines whether Internet trolling behaviors is related to general strain theory. Respondents were solicited from Mechanical Turk and completed an anonymous, Internet-based survey measuring a variety of trolling behaviors and strains (i.e., cyberbullying victimization, trolling victimization, financial strain, and social strain). Of the 259 respondents, 55% self-reported engaging in Internet trolling behaviors. Partial correlations, controlling for sex and age, suggested trolling was significantly related to cyberbullying victimization, trolling victimization, financial strain, and social strain. The hierarchical (blockwise entry) logistic regression found trolls scored higher on cyberbullying victimization, trolling victimization, and financial strain compared to non-trolls. In addition, there was a marginally significant relationship between trolling and higher scores on social strain. Men were also more likely to engage in trolling behaviors compared to women. We conclude there is a relationship between online trolling behaviors and general strain theory. Future research should consider other sources of strain and comparisons between the different types of trolling behaviors (e.g., flaming, griefing, and memorial page trolling) when examining the relationship between trolling and strains. Additional future research suggestions and study limitations are discussed.

Feeding the Trolling: Understanding and Mitigating Online Trolling Behavior as an Unintended Consequence

Trolling is a form of consumer misbehavior that involves deliberate, deceptive, and mischievous attempts to provoke reactions from other online users. This research draws on actor-network theory to explore the assemblages of human and non-human entities that allow and perpetuate online trolling behaviors. By taking a practice-focused multi-sited ethnographic research approach, the research shows that online trolling is often an unintended consequence of interactions between human and non-human entities that are joined in the performance of trolling behavior. These entities include: troll(s), target(s), a medium of exchange, audience(s), other trolls, trolling artifacts, regulators, revenue streams, and assistants. Some of these actors (i.e., troll, target, medium) are playing a role in initiating, and other actors are (un)intentionally sustaining trolling by celebrating it, boosting it, facilitating it, and normalizing it. The findings highlight the role of nontraditional actors in the performance of misbehaviors and suggest that effective management of online consumer misbehaviors such as trolling will include managing the socio-technical networks that allow and fuel these misbehaviors.

The Role of Humor in Understanding the Trolling Behavior of Social Media Users in Pakistan

The Role of Humor in Understanding the Trolling Behavior of Social Media Users in Pakistan

'Waiting with Bated Breath'

'Waiting with Bated Breath'

Cross‐Cultural Analysis of Trolling Behaviors

AbstractThe online disinhibition effect allows trolling to spread widely. As it is possible that trolling behaviors are more frequent in some countries than others, this paper compares the extent and type of trolling in India and the USA. Through a comparative content analysis of 3,000 Twitter posts, we found that trolling varies significantly between the two countries. Specifically, we found that individuals in the USA were trolled significantly more frequently than individuals from India. Almost all trolling behaviors have been at least three time more common in the USA. We argue that the variations in trolling can be attributed to socio‐cultural differences between the two countries, as trolling is more acceptable in low power distance countries.