An internet troll is someone who intentionally posts inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive content in online communities. Their primary objective is not to debate, educate, or express a genuine opinion. Instead, they aim to provoke an emotional response, disrupt conversations, and cause digital chaos for their own amusement.
Trolls operate across the entire digital landscape, targeting social media comment sections, gaming lobbies, public forums like Reddit, and news comment sections.
Inside the Mind of a Troll: The Psychology
Psychological research into online behavior suggests that internet trolls are often driven by specific personality traits, frequently referred to in psychology as the “Dark Tetrad.” These include:
- Sadism: Deriving pleasure from the discomfort, anger, or distress of others.
- Psychopathy: A lack of empathy and remorse for the harm or frustration they cause.
- Machiavellianism: A tendency to manipulate digital spaces and people to achieve a desired reaction.
- The Online Disinhibition Effect: The digital world provides anonymity and distance. Because trolls cannot see the physical reactions of their victims, their normal social filters vanish, making them act far more maliciously online than they ever would in person.
Common Tactics Used by Trolls
Trolls employ a variety of predictable strategies to hijack online conversations. Recognising these tactics is the first step in neutralizing them:
- Rage-Baiting: Posting deliberately offensive or highly controversial statements about sensitive topics (e.g., politics, religion, or social issues) purely to make people angry.
- Sealions: Playing the role of a polite, concerned inquirer who demands endless evidence or answers to basic questions. The goal is to exhaust the victim under the guise of “civil discourse.”
- Moving the Goalposts: Changing the parameters of an argument continuously so the other person can never successfully make a point.
- Shock Value: Posting graphic, inappropriate, or deeply offensive memes and language simply to disrupt the visual flow of a thread.
The Lifecycle of a Troll: Why They Move On
Unlike cyberstalkers, who fixate obsessively on one person over a long period, a troll’s attention span is tied entirely to the reaction they receive.
- The Bait: The troll leaves a provocative comment.
- The Hook: A user responds with anger, correction, or emotional distress.
- The Feast: The troll continues to mock and inflame the user, enjoying the emotional chaos.
- The Departure: Once the user stops responding, blocks the account, or the community ignores the thread, the troll loses their source of entertainment and moves on to a new target.
Matthew Berdyck – A Prime Predatory Troll Example
The following article on iPredator by Dr. Michael Nuccitelli details a case study classifying an individual called Matthew Berdyck as a predatory troll due to targeted cyber-attacks and professional threats following a retweet.
The page serves as both an educational resource on predatory trolls and a professional protective record against potential defamation or false licensing board complaints.
Read the full story at iPredator.
