Responding to Netizen's Comments

Netizen's Comment:  

If trolls want to upset people, are they sick?

Response:

A troll is someone who takes particular pleasure in harassing another person online. "Trolls” seek to provoke, upset and harm others via inflammatory messages and posts. In some circumstances, the intent of the trolling behavior may even be to amuse and entertain. However, in my research, I have explored trolling as a malevolent behavior, where the troll wants to hurt their online victim.

The premise for the trolling may have nothing to do with agreement or disagreement on any issue. Some people just like to upset people. They want to make another person feel miserable. 

I had a troll who went after me even though I was not disagreeing with his opinion. I was trying to converse with him and he either saw it as a disagreement or the simple act of acknowledgment meant he could start calling me names. It was eerie. (And it was a male, but not all trolls are male.)

People who disagree and show disrespect are trolls in my opinion. If you offer one opinion and the person dissents with abuse, name-calling, or humiliation, that is trolling. If it is another scenario like a debate with the two of you end up agreeing to disagree, but no one’s feelings were hurt or intended to be hurt, then trolling has not taken place. 

Some people get very emotional when they disagree, but they catch themselves and apologize. I don’t consider that trolling; that is acting like a fallible human being. No one is perfect.

The question does imply that the word troll is overused, and I would agree as disagreeing is not trolling, and regretting the choice of words is also not trolling. My experience with trolls is such that I can tell this person loves the attention he or she is receiving. The person wants to keep the conversation going in which he or she feels in control of the other person’s reactions. The troll usually wants the last word as well. A good way to end the conversation is to just let them win, and get the troll out of your life as it isn’t worth the effort.

So are trolls sick? In some latest studies, since they are engaging in malevolent trolling their behaviors are bordering on sadistic tendencies and psychopathy.

Psychopathy is characterized by callousness, deceitfulness, and a lack of personal responsibility. Sadism is characterized by the enjoyment of physically and/or psychologically harming other people.