The Science of Internet Trolling
And How Do We Stop Them?
Internet trolls have been the center of attention multiple times in the news, and there must be something we can do about it. (Image: dan177/Thinkstock)
While the name implies some sort of mythical monster, internet trolls are a very real thing, yet the definition of one isn’t too far from that of a fictional troll. An internet troll is an individual who hides behind the anonymity of the internet in order to gain some sort of personal benefit. A lot of the time, these seemingly pointless attacks on individuals and groups tend to it work. Trolls have been here since the beginning of discussion groups in the 1980’s, coming from all over the globe in search of their next victim to target for their selfish attacks. They were much more focused on insulting others because they disagreed with an opinion they had, which were commonly referred to as “flame wars”. Now, these trolls can range from comment sections on an Instagram post, to whole threads on surrounding a single topic. Trolls do not need an argument to disagree with, if they simply think it would be amusing to them to attack a random person of their choosing, then they go for it.
Trolls have appeared on the news numerous times and have spread their hate throughout many levels. There are many varieties of trolls as well, some ranging from people who post walls of text opposing a popular view in hopes of starting some kind of war between two sides, and others prefer name-calling under a post. Despite this, no one really understands why these people do what they do, and why they feel the need to target so many people on the internet. The hateful comments of trolls have varying effects on people, ranging from simply upsetting one’s attitude to negatively affecting one’s personal health, which is why internet trolls are able to thrive. If one person can ignore a troll effectively, that troll will simply move onto the next person until they get a reaction from their actions. However, if we can understand why trolls do what they do, reacting to trolls will be a much simpler task and we will collectively be able to prevent more harassment from happening.
What Is A Troll, Anyway?
In order to understand why trolls do what they do, we first need to know what a troll really is. One clear definition that I will be going off of from an article on BBC Bitesize will define trolls as “people who leave intentionally provocative or offensive messages on the internet in order to get attention, cause trouble or upset someone.” Now, keep in mind that this is only one general definition of a troll that I am using to simplify the meaning of what a troll is. For the most part, this definition covers most of what a troll is, and what they do.
Who Do They Target?
Trolls can target anyone that they see are either easy to troll, or perhaps just “fun” to troll. According to a study done regarding online harassment in 2017, 41% of Americans have experienced any kind of harassment on the internet, and 66% have witnessed it, which shows the wide range of people who have been personally targeted by a troll. However, Younger adults from 18-29 years of age are the ones who are most susceptible to online harassment, with 67% of them having experienced any form of harassment on the internet. But on top of that, young adults are more likely to have experiences of severe forms of it, too. Severe forms of trolling are the kind that make the victim feel personally in danger from the comments of a troll. Examples of severe forms of online trolling or harassment include stalking, physical threats, sexual threats (sexual harassment), and constant targeting over the course of time. While this does show who is targeted the most, it does not mean that younger adults are at fault for being targeted. An explanation for why younger adults might be more exposed to trolling online is because they are simply on the internet more than older adults are.
Why Do They Troll?
In order to explain why people find the need to troll, we need to see what the differences are between someone who trolls, and someone who does not. To find these differences, we’ll first have to understand how a trolls brain works. The biggest factor in determining whether someone will get trolled online is trust. People trust the people who will see their post or comment will be respectful, which allows them to have the power to post whatever they want. But what causes this trust? How can we trust so easily?
The answer to that is Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a molecule in our brain which allows connections between humans to be stronger, and naturally allows us to understand a situation and determine whether we can be calm or alert. However, this bonding of trust between people is also what feeds empathy. And this combination of connections is what allows many of us to post on social media, and trust ourselves with the people who will see it. What does this have to do with trolls?
Trolls take advantage of this trust, which allows them to have full freedom and power to comment whatever they want. The empathy that results from the trust of oxytocin also is a critical trait in most trolls. According to an article from Quartz, trolls are able to understand what kinds of feelings people have, and how those feelings will make them react to certain things. This empathy is also paired with psychopathy, which involves a lack of care for the feelings one has, and allows the troll to completely disregard how that person will feel in order for them to get the exact results they want.
Oxytocin, most commonly known as the “love hormone” or the trust molecule.
Due to their ability to read emotions well and know what makes people react, trolls are able to gain what they want. This ability grows on them, and causes narcissistic characteristics to emerge, as well. As long as trolls can continue to get reactions, they get attention. Those who are narcissistic, such as trolls, feed off of attention due to their high self-esteem, which only continues the cycle of trolling, then receiving a reaction. As long as we keep feeding their reactions, they will continue to troll.
What Can We Do?
While it is obvious that there must be something done against internet trolls, they have their own rights too. Since trolling itself is not a crime, the simple acts of leaving rude comments and name calling cannot be lawfully punished. While a rude comment under someone’s post is very disheartening, there is not much to do besides report it, and if it goes against the website/apps guidelines, it may be taken down and the troll will receive a warning. Enough of these warnings and on most social media they will have their account terminated. This, for the most part, is the extent of the punishment they can receive on comments that are not severe. If there were restrictions on what could be said on the internet, it would most likely be unconstitutional, due to it infringing on freedom of speech. Trolling is also hard to define, as one incident of trolling can be very different from another. However, severe forms of trolling (that were mentioned previously) are serious offenses against another person, and can most of the time be classified as harassment.
The most that can be done against a troll is to simply ignore them. Now, I know this might sound obvious and may be something that many have tried to do, but after understanding how trolls function and why they do what they do, being able to ignore a troll may be easier than it seems. After knowing that trolls need reactions to continue doing what they do, refraining from responding to any kind of troll allows many of us to control our reactions towards them and fuel less trolls to prevent more of their nasty comments.
References
"The Birth Of The Internet Troll". Feinberg, Ashley. Gizmodo, 2014,
https://gizmodo.com/the-first-internet-troll-1652485292. Accessed 2 Nov 2020.
"Why Do People Troll And What Can You Do About It?". BBC Bitesize, 2020,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfmkrj6#:~:text=Instead%20of%20under%20bri
ges%2C%20internet,way%20to%20cause%20misery%20online.&text=Trolls%20are%
0people%20who%20leave,cause%20trouble%20or%20upset%20someone. Accessed 2
Nov 2020.
"Online Harassment 2017". Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 2017,
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/10/online-harassment-cybersecurity-health
-summit-2017/. Accessed 2 Nov 2020.
Zak, Paul. The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity, Dutton, 2012.
Werber, Cassie. "Psychologists Have Identified The Kind Of Emotional Intelligence That Makes Internet
Trolls So Mean". Quartz, 2017,
https://qz.com/1021205/psychologists-identified-the-kind-of-emotional-intelligence-that-makes-
internet-trolls-so-mean/. Accessed 2 Nov 2020.
"Narcissism And The Myths That Just Won’t Die". Twenge, Jean, Psychology Today, 2020,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-narcissism-epidemic/201609/narcissism-and-the
myths-just-won-t-die. Accessed 3 Nov 2020.
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