![i am da one trool i am da one trool](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Os4noGY1qY/YEYvr4d8lrI/AAAAAAAAC_s/ZlqCdsu75MEnL1Clr945PvftSQfMfOB9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s529/Which%2Boption%2Bwas%2Bnot%2Bselected%2Bin%2Bthe%2BMagic%2BWand%2Btool%2Bto%2Bcreate%2Ba%2Bselection%2Blike%2Bthe%2Bone%2Bshown%2Bbelow.png)
The study recruited 400 participants via social media advertisements. Sadism is characterised by enjoyment of physically and/or psychologically harming other people. Psychopathy is characterised by callousness, deceitfulness and a lack of personal responsibility. In my latest study, I explored gender, psychopathy, sadism and self-esteem as predictors of engaging in malevolent trolling. If we can understand why people troll, this can inform management and prevention. Combined with the psychological and economic costs of trolling, this demonstrates the urgency of understanding why people troll. In 2019, The Australia Institute estimated trolling and online abuse had cost the Australian economy up to $3.7 billion in health costs and lost income.Īlarmingly, it is extremely common to experience trolling. Trolling can lead to sleep loss and mental health issues. It is associated with serious physical and psychological effects, including disrupted sleep, lowered self-esteem, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and in some cases, even suicide. Trolling can cause significant harm and distress. However, in my research, I have explored trolling as a malevolent behaviour, where the troll wants to hurt their online victim. In some circumstances, the intent of the trolling behaviour may even be to amuse and entertain. Trolling can refer to a variety of online behaviour. Online trolling used to be funny, but now the term refers to something far more sinister “Trolls” seek to provoke, upset and harm others via inflammatory messages and posts. In scientific literature, internet trolling is defined as a malicious online behaviour, characterised by aggressive and deliberate provocation of others.