What exactly -is- an internet troll?

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

Yeah I've been on here for quite sometime but never got the real definition of a troll. Is it someone who disagrees with you, tries to joke on you, or what?

[Styxz]

Someone who tries to incite negative emotions for their amusement.

[Deleted]

At it's most basic, someone who tries to rile others up online. Usually this is by providing an outrageous opinion that many would find disagreeable.

So, the second option in your poll is closest, but I still don't think it's that simple. Trolling can range from lighthearted fun to genuinely harmful.

[nextormento]

It's a protected class under the jurisdiction of the internet.
Questioning their identity can be construed as persecution.

[Dug]

People that spout negative and contrarian opinions without actually believing in them, merely to rile others up and rack of them top keks. Much like Trump in a way.

[Chain Chungus]

Trolling comes from a play on words, based on combining the fishing practice of trawling with the mythical bridge troll demanding gold to cross.

So to troll is really to trawl, and refers to "dragging your line" with bait through a forum thread hoping you get a bite. There is no real personal attachment to the "bait" and the argument is only there to hook someone. Once hooked, the troll will start to reel that fish in.

[May90]

The OP.

Just kidding. Seriously though, I would define troll as someone posting something obviously wrong or extremely prejudiced in order to provoke people for reactions.

[Revi]

Someone who says things they don't believe to be true to rile people up.

[Dug]

Trolling comes from a play on words, based on combining the fishing practice of trawling with the mythical bridge troll demanding gold to cross.

So to troll is really to trawl, and refers to "dragging your line" with bait through a forum thread hoping you get a bite. There is no real personal attachment to the "bait" and the argument is only there to hook someone. Once hooked, the troll will start to reel that fish in.

reminds me of that one poster here "Hooked". I mean it's IN THE NAME PEOPLE and I still see countless people respond to his drive by troll comments. Yes I know just acknowledging him even here is giving in to what he wants but I wish other people just took a second to look at his name and realize how full of shit he is.

[Independent voter]

It's a practical joke. The joker baits up his hook with something juicy that he doesn't care about say "abortion" and then "trolls" for victims. After he starts a huge flame war on a forum he'll sit back and laugh at the victims.

[Dextroden]

Depends on who you ask.

To some, they are people that try to get easy reactions out of people by saying dumb things.

To others, they are a scourge that can't allow happiness to survive on the internet.

[mizeri]

[Hotmail]

Trolls exist to peg the pretentious down a notch. They dispense lulz and valuable life lessons, although many take it too far.

[Alvito]

Look in the next mirror you see, you will have your answer. Here is is people that jump into threads trying to derail them or spew a bunch of nonsense and rile up the group. You also have a fair amount of people here that chum the water with nonsense threads set up just to infract people or flamebait as many as they can.

[Deleted]

Reads first post.


My hat is off to you op

[xskarma]

Since there's already people engaging in calling out fellow posters I'm going to close this here. I'm pretty sure that if you wanted a genuine answer you could google the question and get the result you want OP.


CLOSED.