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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsScience reveals what makes trolls so nasty
Science reveals what makes trolls so nastyPublic Safety
(Courtesy Erin Buckels)
By Justin Jouvenal July 21 at 7:00 AM
Why do trolls troll?
Anyone who has spent time on the Web has probably wondered in exasperation what motivates people to spew venom and wreak havoc in seemingly every forum and comment section. Science has begun to provide a few answers.
A 2014 University of Manitoba study was the first to attempt to create a personality profile of trolls. Researchers surveyed hundreds of Internet users and gave them personality tests.
Most respondents said they liked to do benign things online, such as chatting and debating issues, but 5.6 percent reported that they enjoyed trolling. The personality tests for this group were striking.
{Reign of terror: An online troll destroys a familys offline life}
People who enjoyed trolling had much higher rates of dark traits such as sadism, narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism so much so that it might be said that online trolls are prototypical everyday sadists, the authors concluded.
(Courtesy Erin Buckels)
By Justin Jouvenal July 21 at 7:00 AM
Why do trolls troll?
Anyone who has spent time on the Web has probably wondered in exasperation what motivates people to spew venom and wreak havoc in seemingly every forum and comment section. Science has begun to provide a few answers.
A 2014 University of Manitoba study was the first to attempt to create a personality profile of trolls. Researchers surveyed hundreds of Internet users and gave them personality tests.
Most respondents said they liked to do benign things online, such as chatting and debating issues, but 5.6 percent reported that they enjoyed trolling. The personality tests for this group were striking.
{Reign of terror: An online troll destroys a familys offline life}
People who enjoyed trolling had much higher rates of dark traits such as sadism, narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism so much so that it might be said that online trolls are prototypical everyday sadists, the authors concluded.
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Science reveals what makes trolls so nasty (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
Jul 2015
OP
Myrina
(12,296 posts)1. Pretty much describes the Tea Party, in a nutshell.
n.t
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)2. In related news:
Science reveals what makes
right-wing authoritarians so nasty
sarisataka
(18,895 posts)3. I thought it was
They get irritable living under a damp smelly bridge
Uncle Joe
(58,524 posts)4. Kicked and recommended.
Thanks for the thread, mahatmakanejeeves.
murielm99
(30,782 posts)5. Some get paid for it. n/t
Octafish
(55,745 posts)6. Nailed it.
Thanks for ticking off the right people.
foo_bar
(4,193 posts)7. but these 5.6% are self-identified trolls
Not that there's a consensus definition of trolls/trolling, but I tend to think the biggest trolls don't know they're trolling. Whereas these respondents did, so maybe they were trolling the survey with "dark" stuff for lulz. Which makes them trolls in some sense, but maybe they're more like aspirational sadists (or people like me who troll personality surveys.)