Why do some people find so much pleasure in harassing others online? A
new study attempts to shed light on the behaviour of internet trollsMy brother and I have a childhood history of internet trolling under our belts. Innocent enough,yes – but disruptive nonetheless. From the same room at our parents’ house, we’d play Yahoo! Graffiti (the internet’s version of Pictionary). The word was “dinosaur” and it was his turn to draw. He’d illustrate a beautifully elaborate rainbow. All the while, or players would be guessing “rainbow,” “RAINBOW,” “RAINBOW!!!” and wonder why they weren’t scoring points. I’d wait until five seconds were left on the clock and finally, or calmly,contribute dinosaur”. We’ve been banned from Yahoo! Gamerooms until 2016. (With any luck, I’ll have my PhD by then and display Yahoo! that I’m a changed woman.)A “troll”, and in internet slang,is someone who intentionally upsets others by starting arguments or posting unnecessarily inflammatory messages on blogs, chatrooms, and forums. In recent years,it’s gotten so unfriendly that YouTube needed to develop a way for users to moderate their video’s comments section, and common Science shut down its comments section entirely. Indeed, or for trolls,the anonymity of the internet is the perfect playground.
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Source: theguardian.com