What Is an Internet Troll and How to Stop Them

An internet troll is a person who intentionally posts inflammatory or off-topic comments online to provoke a reaction from others. They often hide behind anonymity, making it difficult to hold them accountable for their actions.

Trolls can be found on social media, online forums, and comment sections of news articles. They may use fake accounts to spread misinformation and chaos.

To identify a troll, look for patterns of behavior such as posting provocative comments, using all caps, and making personal attacks. These tactics are designed to elicit an emotional response from others.

If you encounter a troll, it's best to ignore them. Engaging with a troll can fuel their behavior and create a larger problem.

An internet troll is someone who intentionally tries to instigate conflict, hostility, or arguments in an online social community.

Trolls often use inflammatory messages to provoke emotional responses out of people, disrupting otherwise civil discussion. This can happen anywhere online, including YouTube comment sections, forums, and chat rooms.

People who troll don't necessarily target one person, but rather say controversial things to get a reaction. They don't really have a purpose beyond getting this reaction.

Trolling can be triggered by a person's emotional state, such as being in a bad mood or seeing "troll comments" in a discussion. This can make them twice as likely to join in and become a troll themselves.

Anyone can become a troll, regardless of their personality traits or background. It's often a situational behavior, rather than an intrinsic characteristic.

Trolls use provocative, off-topic, or disruptive messages to trigger emotional reactions. This can include posting comments or saying negative things to deliberately upset people.

Trolling can be used to derail entire conversations, making it difficult for people to have meaningful discussions. This can happen on social media, forums, and other online platforms.

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Trolling behaviour exists in all of us, and it's essential to be aware of this fact. Dr. Tyson suggests that the motivations for trolling can be separated into two key groups: barriers and incentives.

The online disinhibition effect allows people to behave in ways they wouldn't in a physical space, and the anonymity provided by the internet can encourage more and more extreme behaviour. This is because someone may find themselves falling down a rabbit hole where they say something to gain likes, and then want to re-experience that endorsement.

The sheer scale of the online world can also contribute to trolling, as it can rapidly turn into an echo chamber. If you bully another child in the physical world, you might get support from a few people, but online you've got millions of potential supporters.

Internet trolls come in many forms, and understanding their types can help you navigate online interactions more effectively.

The first type is the drive-by troll, who drops a single provocation and leaves. This can be a frustrating experience, especially if you're not prepared for it.

A persistent harasser, on the other hand, targets a person or community repeatedly over time. This can be a serious issue, and it's essential to know how to handle it.

Some trolls use disposable accounts to evade moderation, known as sockpuppets or throwaways. This can make it difficult to track them down and address their behavior.

Coordinated or brigade participants, however, act as part of a group to manipulate a discussion. This can be a particularly insidious form of trolling, as it can be hard to distinguish from genuine conversation.

Finally, bot-assisted trolls employ automation to amplify their reach. This can make it seem like there are more people participating in the conversation than there actually are.

Here are the typical types of internet trolls:

Trolling behaviour can stem from a lack of barriers to online activity, such as slow moderators and anonymity.

The online disinhibition effect allows people to behave in ways they wouldn't in physical spaces, like bullying or causing mischief.

Anonymity can encourage more extreme behaviour, as people may say something nasty to gain likes or endorsements.

This can create an echo chamber where negativity is amplified, especially in large online communities.

Trolls often enjoy causing suffering and attention, and use anonymity to avoid real consequences for their actions.

Most online spaces allow users to create pseudonyms, making it easy for trolls to hide their identities.

Trolling behaviour can be a systematic process, with some individuals doing it as an occupation or for enjoyment.

Cyberbullying is an online form of abuse, targeting a specific person.

The intent of someone who cyberbullies is to cause social, psychological or even physical harm or intimidation.

They might continually post negative comments about you, share embarrassing photos or videos, call you names, or exclude you from group chats.

Cyberbullies often use the internet to hide behind a screen and attack others anonymously.

Their actions can have serious consequences, affecting a person's self-esteem, mental health, and relationships with others.

Dr. Gareth Tyson, a Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute, suggests that the most effective strategies to prevent trolling are embedded within social media companies. This involves implementing a team of human moderators to determine what is and isn't okay to say, and using machine learning specialists to build models that automatically learn patterns of misbehaviour and automate the moderation process.

To prevent your own trolling behaviour, consider these simple tips: block people and choose what you see on your feeds, as proposed in the United Kingdom's Online Safety Bill. However, Dr. Tyson notes that this can be time-consuming and only applies to yourself, making it difficult to prevent harm to others.

To recognize a troll, look out for their intent to inflame, pattern over time, refusal to engage, account signals, coordination hints, and boundary testing. Here are some specific signs to watch out for:

New measures were added to the United Kingdom's Online Safety Bill in 2022 to fight against anonymous trolls online.

Under the proposed legislation, social media companies will have to give users more control over who can interact with them, by allowing them to block people and choose what they see on their feeds.

This is a step in the right direction, but Dr Tyson notes that it's very time-consuming and only applies to the individual being trolled.

The most effective strategies are embedded within the social media companies, according to Dr Tyson, who suggests that implementing a team of human moderators is a key approach.

These human moderators determine what is and isn't OK to say, and the information is fed to a team of machine learning specialists who try to build models to automatically learn patterns of misbehaviour.

However, Dr Tyson points out that these models are often effective in certain situations, but very ineffective in others, such as when new styles of behaviour emerge.

Dr Tyson remains optimistic, believing that as the online world continues to evolve, the tooling and design of social media websites will improve to discourage trolling behaviour.

Preventing unwanted behaviour online is crucial to maintaining a safe and respectful online community. Dr Gareth Tyson, an assistant professor at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, suggests that social media companies can implement a team of human moderators to determine what is and isn't acceptable to say online.

To prevent unwanted behaviour, social media companies can give users more control over who can interact with them, by allowing them to block people and choose what they see on their feeds. This is a step in the right direction, but it's time-consuming and only applies to the individual user.

The most effective strategies are embedded within the social media companies themselves. Dr Tyson points out that implementing a team of human moderators is a key strategy in preventing unwanted behaviour online.

Here are some simple tips to keep in mind to ensure you avoid being a troll:

By being aware of our own online behaviour, we can contribute to creating a safer and more respectful online community.

Recognizing a troll can be tricky, but there are some telltale signs to look out for. Trolls often try to attack something you like or are in favor of, so if someone is directly insulting your tastes, you might have a troll on your hands.

Trolls are persistent, and they won't stop until they've gotten a strong emotional response from you. They'll keep pushing their outrageous claims, even if they don't believe them themselves.

One way to spot a troll is by their behavior over time. If someone is consistently trying to provoke a reaction from you, even after you've answered their questions or addressed their concerns, they're probably a troll.

Trolls often refuse to engage in a constructive conversation, dismissing evidence, shifting the goalposts, or selectively quoting others. They might even create new accounts to avoid being banned or to continue their trolling activities.

Here are some common signs of a troll:

It's worth noting that there are two types of Internet trolls: intentional trolls who deliberately aim to ruin online conversations, and unintentional trolls who unintentionally disrupt threads with their provocative language.

If you're being targeted by an internet troll, don't engage with them. This can escalate the situation and make things worse.

Block or report the troll's account to the social media platform or online community you're using. Most platforms have a reporting feature that allows you to flag abusive behavior.

Take a break from the internet if the situation becomes too overwhelming. This can help you clear your head and come back to the situation with a clear mind.

Keep a record of the troll's messages or comments, including dates and times. This can be helpful if you need to escalate the situation to a moderator or law enforcement.

Don't let the troll's behavior affect your self-esteem or confidence. Remember that their behavior is a reflection of their own issues, not yours.

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Internet trolls are known to use various tactics to get a reaction out of people. They will often try to attack something you like or are in favor of, and won't stop until they've gotten a rise out of you.

One way to spot a troll is by their persistence. If someone is trying to insult your tastes directly or bashing the topic of a forum or post, you probably have a troll on your hands.

Trolls are masters of making outrageous claims, often with the expectation that they'll get an emotional response out of people. They won't necessarily believe the ridiculous statements they make, but their goal is to convince you that they do.

Here are some common trolling tactics:

Trolls don't necessarily target one person, but will often say controversial things to get a reaction from anyone. They don't really have a purpose beyond getting this reaction, and will often derail entire conversations so that people can't have meaningful discussions.