Study Shows Internet Trolls Really are Bad People Who Should Feel Bad but Won't

[Orby]

Trolling has become out of control lately. the worst place for trolling being Youtube, reddit, 4chan and Twitter. I just refuse to read comments online anymore its gotten so bad!

Some sites like this one are okay, MMO-champion trolls are usually well controlled by mods here, thats not to say they still don't have any, but this and other forums I go to are pretty tame compared to those mentioned above.

[Sting]

Trolling is way too broad of a term.

[Deleted]

Someone disagrees with you = trolling.

[Revi]

Someone disagrees with you = trolling.

No, just no. I disagree with more people than I agree with, especially here, and I've never been called a troll. If people keep calling you a troll then you're probably not expressing your views in a reasonable way, or your being unnecessarily inflammatory.

Just look at oxymoronic's posts on last page, he's under the impression that he's wrongfully labeled as a troll, but look at how he's expressing himself. Constantly insulting, talking down to and swearing at people... Might not be his intention to troll, but he's having the same effect as one because of it.

[nextormento]

Just look at oxymoronic's posts on last page

I found it amusing rather than insulting. Then again, he was responding to people that took the 'study' way too seriously, so meh.

[spinner981]

I dispute.

I think a lot of "internet trolls" are extroverts. It is the introverts who complain about their extroverted behavior.

Its like an extrovert talking loudly, happily and colorfully with friends in a public place, and then a grumpy introvert getting offended that they are loud and colorful and happy. You just take that dynamic, remove it from a public setting and put it on an internet message board, and you have a "troll" offending someone.

Or to put another way, its like someone being extroverted in the park somewhere and a grumpy introvert complaining that they are trolling the park.

You don't really know what 'trolls' are, do you?

[Paladin885]

Nice methodology.

Find people with online narcissism-Check
Administer "brilliant" survey-Check
Confirm hypothesis-Check
???
Submit for 'peer' review!

Psychology, doing its best.

you don't know how scientific research works do you? you focus on a specific target aimed at your specific goal. You then study/test/analyze/observe that group and use your measures and methodology to get results. Then you see if what you were looking for actually happened. Goal achieved = Profit.

I read it and here is what I found:

- they looked at internet trolling and based on prior research conducted an experiment aiming at narcissism and sadism (2 tests)
- they picked an online website to pull from (median age was 29)
- used multiple surveys used to find specific information (one specifically checked to see if youre a sadist), focus groups wouldnt work nor observations as both would eliminate anonymity. Which anyone smart enough would know is the key ingredient that fuels trolls into becoming trolls in the first place.
- second test presented a control variable. One control actually reduced sadism scores and showed increase narcissism scores.
- Results? trolls want to be trolls... they love it. They love the attention it brings them as well.

scientific research, doing its best.

[Deleted]

you don't know how scientific research works do you? you focus on a specific target aimed at your specific goal. You then study/test/analyze/observe that group and use your measures and methodology to get results. Then you see if what you were looking for actually happened. Goal achieved = Profit.

I read it and here is what I found:

- they looked at internet trolling and based on prior research conducted an experiment aiming at narcissism and sadism (2 tests)
- they picked an online website to pull from (median age was 29)
- used multiple surveys used to find specific information (one specifically checked to see if youre a sadist), focus groups wouldnt work nor observations as both would eliminate anonymity. Which anyone smart enough would know is the key ingredient that fuels trolls into becoming trolls in the first place.
- second test presented a control variable. One control actually reduced sadism scores and showed increase narcissism scores.
- Results? trolls want to be trolls... they love it. They love the attention it brings them as well.

scientific research, doing its best.

You've either not read the paper, or never had to conduct a rigorous study.

Because their methodology was horseshit. It has been dismantled by myself in crude, and more elegant, terms throughout this thread. And numerous other posters have done the same.

Seriously mate, I'm more than happy to butt horns on this, but your justification of their nonsense is really quite poor.

And "science", psychology is a science like sociology is. It's not. You're confusing it with psychiatry.

[Deleted]

Dark Tetrad sounds like a killer synthrock band.

[spinner981]

I don't really care what studies say or don't say. Trolls really are bad people and they should feel bad but won't. No study will convince me otherwise.