Psychology >>>> Trolling - what is it?

Trolling - what is it?

In Scandinavian fairy tales, trolls were called ugly creatures hiding from the eyes and famous for nasty deeds or sabotage. This is one of the versions of the origin of the word "trolling". The second version is directly related to the translation of the word from English and means the fishing term for fishing with a spoon (blende). Both of these versions of the origin of the word "trolling" quite clearly describe its meaning - the creation of a provocative moment at which you can catch your opponent.

In ordinary real life, there is always a place for provocations, which are formed by formulating phrases that are annoying in meaning or by committing ambiguous actions with the expectation of a response. Trolling has become a popular activity with the development of the Internet space, where the virtuality of the environment allows provocateurs - trolls to feel out of reach of opponents or even appear incognito, which creates the illusion of impunity.

Why are provocations created? The idea of trolling differs depending on the goals of the trolls. The purpose of trolling may be the need to create a discussion on various kinds of issues, and then provocative phrases or actions act as an activator of the dispute. Disputes are usually appropriate in chats or comments, and allow you to keep a user online for a while while he expresses his point of view or refutes the opinions of other people. This kind of trolling very effectively affects the level of attendance of electronic resources and is considered a positive phenomenon.

But most often, trolling turns into the most severe form of bullying, when it acts as a provoking moment to irritate the nervous system (psyche) of the person at whom it is directed. The purpose of such trolling is to demonstrate to the other side their ability to offend and "pry" the opponent with impunity, and ultimately provoke inappropriate actions in a fit of irritation.

Very often, in the absence of anonymity, trolls use provocations in order to attract attention, gain popularity and support from the part of the Internet audience that has joined them. In fact, a situation of confrontation between one person and a whole group of like-minded troll is being formed.

Before trolling a certain person, trolls monitor the character of a person, his habits, try to find out his strengths and weaknesses, probe reactions to various kinds of stimuli, and only then begin to hit on the identified vulnerabilities. Thus, expressing your opinion on various occasions, you can involuntarily fall under the scrutiny of the troll and create an opportunity for him to have fun.

Who are the trolls? According to the observations of psychologists and psychotherapists, people who have a lot of free time but do not have practical purposes for using it, who want to demonstrate their superiority by causing moral damage to other people, and who do not find themselves in anything other than creating provocative moments, tend to engage in trolling. and the annoyance of other people caught by the troll. Trolling is a way to assert yourself when there is no other opportunity for this.

Trolls are masters of muddying up the waters, and trolling is addictive, especially if the troll receives a response from the chosen victim and the necessary portion of irritation. For this reason, psychologists and psychotherapists strongly recommend to show restraint, tolerance and not be led on provocations, no matter how aggressive they are. The best way to get rid of trolling, if a person suddenly became his victim, is to leave the network, thereby depriving the troll of his "prey". No object for trolling - no trolling.

Trolling is generally considered to be a social form of aggression. And those types of trolling that are designed to develop communication between members of the Internet community are also classified as dirty technologies that can lead to conflicts within the community.

But if, nevertheless, a person expects to resist trolling, it is worth knowing that the downside of any form of trolling is popularity. For this reason, it is often trolling that is used as the most effective PR technology for creating a person's recognition and popularity in virtual and ordinary life.