Trolls are ''psychopaths and sadists'' say researchers.

[Lee_ 10]

it would certainly seem that the word Troll is bandied around as soon as you disagree with certain members.

 

No it isnt you Troll!!!!

[SpikeMac 10]

I need to know how you do that please.

 

I have superpowers.

[Ash Tray 10]

I have superpowers.

 

You're trolling for sure.

[aliceBB 10]

The research (like much social 'science') is a bit dubious. The researchers were assuming that the responders had told the truth and that from those responses they had correctly identified internet trolls. It is possible that they were wrong on both counts.

 

Whilst it's easy to see why the internet attracts loners and social misfits, there is no clear evidence as to which internet users experience pleasure or satisfaction in so-called 'trolling', or why. One would assume it's something to do with power - denied to them in the real world ('As flies to wanton boys', etc), but trolls are surely a group, or even a personality type, which defies objective research.

 

The other thing which often gets missed when troll-hunting is the decontextualised, flattening effect of the internet on language use - it makes the tone of messages/posts harder to detect and often gives text an aggressive edge or a belligerent tenor, where none was intended. This ratchets up the mood of a thread and can be deceptive.

Edited February 17, 2014 by aliceBB

[Maz3 10]

^^^ What she said.

[rickiethecat 10]

From psychologists from the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg and University of British Columbia in an article published in the ‘Personality and Individual Differences’ journal.

 

---------- Post added 17-02-2014 at 17:46 ----------

 

 

I could refer you to dozens of articles where the actions of trolls have cause huge emotional distress and even suicide. Not very harmless.

 

People need to take responsibility for their own actions. If you're the sort of weak person who bursts into tears the minute someone disagrees with you, you shouldn't be going on internet forums in the first place.

[Halibut 12]

People need to take responsibility for their own actions. If you're the sort of weak person who bursts into tears the minute someone disagrees with you, you shouldn't be going on internet forums in the first place.

 

Do you think rape threats are trivial and not worth bothering about?

Should women threatened with rape just man up and take it?

 

That appears to be what you're suggesting.

[rickiethecat 10]

Do you rape threats are trivial and not worth bothering about?

Should women threatened with rape just man up and take it?

 

That appears to be what you're suggesting.

 

Don't feed the trolls! If someone made a rape threat to me I would simply log off the forum and not use it again.

[Halibut 12]

Don't feed the trolls! If someone made a rape threat to me I would simply log off the forum and not use it again.

 

I don't believe you.

 

Do you think people who make such threats should be prosecuted?

[rickiethecat 10]

I don't believe you.

 

Do you think people who make such threats should be prosecuted?

 

The police have finite resources, so I would rather see coppers on the street than sat in an office combing their way through internet forums to see if someone's been called a rude name.

 

How would you feel if you'd been attacked and when you called the police you were told they had no-one available as they were all on the internet?

[Epic Fail 10]

Don't feed the trolls! If someone made a rape threat to me I would simply log off the forum and not use it again.

 

I'll be bookmarking this post just incase I want to get rid of you in the future.

[aliceBB 10]

The police have finite resources, so I would rather see coppers on the street than sat in an office combing their way through internet forums to see if someone's been called a rude name.

 

How would you feel if you'd been attacked and when you called the police you were told they had no-one available as they were all on the internet?

 

That's a silly argument. Clearly it does not have to be one thing or the other.

 

The social media are not going to go away. Young people in particular are being exposed to significant risk from groomers, paedophiles, fraudsters and malicious trolls.

 

Halibut is right. It's not OK to threaten to rape or commit violence against someone, in any real-life context. The internet is a real life context now.