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Adolescent trolling in online environments: A brief overview

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Mark D Griffiths at Nottingham Trent University
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85 Education and Health Vol.32 No.3, 2014
O
ver the last couple of years there has been
increasing media coverage about trolling
among teenagers. The term ‘troll’ appears to
have originated from a method of fishing, where
an individual would fish by trailing a baited line
behind a boat. However, many Internet users
often use the description of being a ‘troll’ as a
mythological creature that hides under bridges,
waiting for an opportunity to pounce (Herring,
Job-Sluder, Scheckler and Barab, 2002). With the
latter definition, one can see the comparison
with the modern day world with hiding under
bridges being the online world waiting for an
opportunity that may warrant a troll to take
action. With the first definition, it is clear that
casting a baited line as a form of provoking
individuals into some form of emotional
response. This article briefly examines a
growing phenomenon – trolling by adolescents.
What exactly is trolling?
Arguably, trolling appears to be a variably
defined concept, with multiple definitions
existing. It appears to have been first reported
by Donath (1999) who argued that “trolling is a
game about identity deception” (p.45), and
suggests that a troll's personal opinion is often
avoided during the act. According to Herring,
Job-Sluder, Scheckler and Barab (2002), trolling
comprises “luring others into often pointless
and time-consuming discussions” (p.373).
Morrissey (2010) expanded this even further by
saying “trolling is an utterer producing an
intentionally false or incorrect utterance with
high order intention [the plan] to elicit from
recipient a particular response, generally
negative or violent” (p.77). Thus, it appears
trolling is an act of intentionally provoking
and/or antagonising users in an online
environment that creates an often desirable,
sometimes predictable, outcome for the troll.
Morrissey also states that trolling is a complex
intentional act, that some may consider an art.
On the other hand, others have included trolling
as a form of cyberbullying.
Research into trolling
To date, there has been relatively little
empirical research into online trolling,
Published studies have examined trolling in a
number of different cyberspaces including
online interaction in Wikipedia use (Shachaf and
Hara, 2010), online feminist discussion forums
(Herring et al., 2002), and online gaming worlds
(Thacker and Griffiths, 2012). Despite the dearth
of research, some key findings have emerged.
For instance, the study by Herring et al.,
identified three types of messages sent by trolls.
These were (i) messages from a sender who
appears outwardly sincere, (ii) messages
designed to attract predictable responses or
flames, and (iii) messages that waste a group’s
time by provoking futile argument. From these
findings, it is apparent that trolling often merges
with several other online behaviours. The
authors pointed out that a troll is an online user
that can be uncooperative, that seeks to confuse
and deceive, and can be a ‘flamer’ by using
insults.
Shachaf and Hara's study on trolling within
Wikipedia revealed that the main reasons for
trolling were boredom, attention seeking, and
revenge. Furthermore, it was reported that trolls
regarded Wikipedia as an entertainment venue,
and found pleasure from causing damage to it
and the people who used the site. The research
by Herring and colleagues argued that it is non-
mainstream environments that are especially
vulnerable to trolling (such as forums) as they
“provide a new arena for the enactment of
power inequities such as those motivated by
sexism, racism, and heterosexism” (p.371). Due
to this, one could suggest that trolling is a
Dr Mark D. Griffiths is Professor of Gambling Studies and Director of the International Gaming Research Unit, Nottingham Trent
University.
For communication, please email: mark.griffiths@ntu.ac.uk
Mark D. Griffiths
Adolescent trolling in online environments: A brief overview
86 Education and Health Vol.32 No.3, 2014
behaviour that is facilitated and possibly
exacerbated by the anonymity of the Internet.
Why do people troll?
Many authors have argued that relative
anonymity facilitates disinhibition, resulting in
flaming and harassment. This online
disinhibition effect is well established in the
psychological literature (e.g., Suler, 2004).
Furthermore, Widyanto and Griffiths (2011)
noted the Internet “might lead to disinhibition,
whereby individuals feel more confident as they
are protected by their anonymity” (p.15).
Therefore, Internet users have an opportunity to
present themselves differently online. From this,
the opportunity for trolling is undeniably present
as Widyanto and Griffiths make clear: “the
Internet provides anonymity, which removes the
threat of confrontation, rejection and other
consequences of behaviour” (p.15). This allows
individuals to behave online in ways that they
would not normally do in the offline world.
Research suggests that anonymity, which is
naturally characterised by the Internet, may
affect a person's self-esteem. Self-esteem has
been consistently associated as an important
determinant of adolescent mental health (Mann,
Hosman, Schaalma and de Vries, 2004; Wang
and Veugelers, 2008), with lower self-esteem
being linked to depression and increased levels
of anxiety (Mann et al, 2004; Bosacki, Dane and
Marini, 2007). Therefore, it has been claimed
that high self-esteem is psychologically healthy.
However, online interactions allow an
individual to represent a different self, leading
to increased feelings of self-worth and therefore
being more psychologically healthy (Taylor,
Lerner, Sherman, Sage and McDowell, 2003).
There is quite a lot of research into self-esteem
and more general Internet use. For instance,
research indicates that individuals with low self-
esteem prefer to communicate with others
through the Internet, such as emails, rather than
face-to-face (Joinson, 2004). It has also been
found that general Internet use increases self-
esteem, and some research has indicated that
video game use decreases self-esteem (Jackson,
Zhao, Witt, Fitzgerald, Von Eye and Harold,
2009). This suggests that the Internet can be
used as a form of social interaction that
positively affects self-esteem for those with
considerably low self-esteem. However, given
the evolution of online gaming in recent years,
the effect of self-esteem while playing online
video games where social interaction (including
trolling) can occur is relatively unknown.
Trolling in online gaming
Until recently, trolling had never been studied
in an online video game context and there is still
little empirically known about it in the most
general sense of the term. Trolling often merges
other online behaviours such as flaming.
(Adrian, 2010) offers limited, albeit useful,
insight into how an individual may troll during
online gaming. Adrian names those who enact
such behaviour as “griefers”, a term used on
those who try to ruin a gaming experience, often
by team-killing or obstructing objectives. It
could be that griefing is one such behaviour
used during trolling in the context of an online
video game. Furthermore, given the evolution of
online gaming, it is possible that the behaviour
of trolling has evolved to fit into the context in
which the trolling is being used in (e.g., online
forums, Wikipedia, video games), and therefore,
contains many other online behaviours that are
used to disrupt others’ gaming enjoyment.
Given the little psychological research that
had been conducted beyond the fact that it
exists, we carried out a study (Thacker and
Griffiths, 2012) to examine the (i) frequency of
trolling, (ii) type and reasons for trolling and
(iii) the effects trolling may have on self-esteem.
Using an online survey, a self-selected sample of
125 gamers participated in our study. Results
showed that trolls tended to play longer gaming
sessions. Frequent trolls were significantly
younger and male. Types of trolling included (i)
griefing, (ii) sexism/racism, and (iii) faking and
intentionally misleading people. Reasons for
trolling included amusement, boredom, and
revenge. Witnessing trolling was positively
associated with self-esteem, whereas
experiencing trolling was negatively associated.
Experience of trolling was positively correlated
with frequency of trolling. Although the study
used a self-selecting sample, the results appear to
provide a tentative benchmark into video game
trolling and its potential effects on self-esteem.
The study had many limitations that need to
be taken into account. Firstly, due to the nature
87 Education and Health Vol.32 No.3, 2014
of questionnaire design and it being self-report,
it may have been open to social desirability
effects (i.e., participants may have answered
differently to represent a different self) and any
of the other known problems with self-report
methods (e.g., unreliable memory and recall
biases, etc.). Another major limitation was that
the sample was self-selecting and modest in
size. This raises questions into its relative
generalizability. Despite these limitations, the
study appears to provide several key findings
that now provide a preliminary benchmark into
video game trolling where there was no
previous research. Moreover, it expands the
neglected research into online trolling and offers
areas and directions for future research.
The need for education
and awareness about trolling
Last year I gave my backing to the ‘Lolz Not
Trolls’ campaign following a survey of 2,000
young people aged 14-18 years of age carried
out by vInspired (Rice, 2013). The survey found
that (i) a third of those questioned had been
trolled online in the last six months, (ii) just over
a quarter faced regular attacks, and (iii) one in
ten admitted to being trolls themselves. Trolling
can have a devastating effect on those who are
targeted. Around a third of youngsters surveyed
lost confidence and were shattered by trolling
attacks. More worryingly, almost a half of the
surveyed teenagers said they kept the attacks
secret because they felt they didn’t have anyone
they could tell.
The survey also looked at the reasons why
people trolled. Nearly a quarter trolled because
they found it funny, something that I have also
found in my own research on trolling (i.e.,
Thacker and Griffiths, 2012). Furthermore,
around one-third trolled because their friends
troll too. Some of the more interesting results
indicated that one in six claimed they didn’t
think their abusive messages would hurt the
person they sent the message to, and a half of
the teenagers thought it was OK to say things
online that they wouldn’t say to someone’s face.
The survey’s findings also revealed that a
quarter of the teenagers wanted to learn more
about how to use social media correctly.
Therefore, to help educate young people to
become more aware of the most appropriate
online ‘netiquette’, I worked together with
vInspired, to develop a guide featuring ‘dos and
don’ts’ when using social media. Underpinning
the ‘Lolz Not Trolls’ campaign was a simple and
easy to remember three-point checklist with the
acronym ‘LOL’ for teenagers to think about
when they are using online and social media: (i)
Look at what I write before I post – recognise
how it might make someone feel, (ii) Own what
I write – take responsibility for what I say, and
(iii) Live online the way I live offline – treat
others how I would want to be treated. Trolling
is an online phenomenon that people may
witness without necessarily knowing what it is.
Clearly more representative research is needed
as adolescents may be a vulnerable group in
being both the victims and perpetrators of such
behaviour.
References
Adrian, A. (2010). Beyond griefing: Virtual crime. Computer Law
and Security Review, 26, 640-648.
Bosacki, S., Dane, A., & Marini, Z. (2007). Peer relationships
and internalizing problems in adolescents: Mediating role of self-
esteem. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 12, 261–282.
Donath, J. S. (1999). Identity and deception in the virtual
community. In M. A. Smith and P. Kollock (Eds.), Communities
in cyberspace (pp. 29–59). London: Routledge.
Herring, S., Job-Sluder, K., Scheckler, R. & Barab, S. (2002).
Searching for safety online: Managing “Trolling” in a feminist
forum. The Information Society, 18, 371-384.
Joinson, A. (2004). Self-esteem, interpersonal risk, and
preference for email to face-to-face communication.
CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7, 472–478.
Mann, M., Hosman, C. M., Schaalma, H. P., & de Vries, N. K.
(2004). Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental
health promotion. Health Education Research, 19, 357–372.
Morrissey, L. (2010). Trolling is an art: Towards a schematic
classification of intention in Internet trolling. Griffith Working Papers
in Pragmatics and Intercultural Communications, 3(2), 75-82.
Rice, L. (2013). It’s time for more Lolz NOT trolls. vinspired,
January 13. [Accessed 5th August 2014] Available from:
https://vinspired.com/its-time-for-more-lolz-not-trolls
Shachaf, P. & Hara, N. (2010). Beyond vandalism: Wikipedia
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Suler, J. R. (2004). The online dishibition effect.
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Taylor, S. E., Lerner, J. S., Sherman, D. K., Sage, R. M., &
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Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use.
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Full-text available
  • Mar 2023
We live in the age of technological abundance in the twenty-first century. The arrival of networked digital machines and information flow is slowly but steadily shaping practically every aspect of our daily lives. Social media platforms, for example, provide a new mode of communication that allows users to engage in discussions and exchange opinions on a variety of topics, fostering global dialogue. As is happening in today's politics, social media is a dangerous threat to democracy and pluralism. Social media, as it is in today's politics, is a dangerous threat to democracy and pluralism. We are witnessing the birth of a new political language game, with trolling as one of the primary moves, as a result of the rise of social media. Social media not only poses a unique threat to local politics but also global peace and stability. The purpose of this study is to explain why trolls spread rumors on social media. This study was conducted on netizens who actively engaged in trolling behavior. We used a qualitative paradigm with a phenomenological approach to investigate the role of motivation in trolling behavior to share substantiated and unsubstantiated content of the Indonesian election. Results show that trolling is motivated by two factors, according to the findings: intrinsic motivation (i.e. problem-solving, education, and seeking attention, as well as supporting social factors) (i.e. environment and timing). Abstrak: Di abad ke-21, kita hidup di era teknologi yang berkembang sangat cepat. Keberadaan media digital dan informasi perlahan namun pasti memengaruhi hampir setiap elemen dari kehidupan kita sehari-hari. Misalnya, platform media sosial memberikan bentuk pola komunikasi baru yang memungkinkan seseorang terlibat dalam diskusi dan bertukar pendapat tentang berbagai topik. Kemudahan dalam berkomunikasi ini menciptakan dialog pada skala global. Seperti dalam politik kontemporer yang terjadi saat ini, media sosial adalah ancaman berbahaya yang dapat disalahgunakan untuk demokrasi dan pluralisme. Dengan maraknya media sosial, muncul permainan bahasa politik baru, salah satunya disebut dengan trolling. Fokus penelitian ini adalah mengeksplor motivasi troll yang membagikan informasi dan rumor di media sosial. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada netizen yang berpartisipasi aktif dalam perilaku trolling. Untuk mengeksplorasi peran motivasi perilaku trolling untuk berbagi konten pemilu Indonesia, kami menggunakan paradigma kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologis. Hasil temuan menunjukkan bahwa faktor yang memotivasi netizen melakukan trolling yakni motivasi intrinsik yang meliputi topik yang menarik, memenuhi kebutuhan emosional dan kebutuhan kognitif, motivasi ekstrinsik yang meliputi problem solving, education, dan mencari perhatian, serta faktor sosial pendukung yang meliputi lingkungan dan waktu.
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Veritistic social epistemology and network communication problems
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2024
Projekt werystycznej epistemologii społecznej opiera się na ocenie praktyk społecznych ukierunkowanych na zdobywanie wiedzy i unikanie błędów. Badania te mają na celu analizę społecznego i technologicznego wymiaru procesów informacyjnych. Szereg praktyk w środowisku sieciowym ma znaczący wpływ na procesy poznawcze jednostek. Są one przyczyną nabywania zarówno prawdziwych, jak i fałszywych przekonań, od rzetelnych praktyk informacyjnych po nierzetelne praktyki dezinformacyjne. Powszechność zjawisk takich jak komory echa, fake newsy, clickbaity czy deepfaki wskazuje, że kondycja współczesnej infosfery jest poważnie zagrożona. Procesy dezinformacyjne, wzmacniane postępem technologicznym, skłaniają do refleksji nad rzetelnością praktyk społecznych. Poza konsekwencjami ściśle werystycznymi, wskazać należy również na znaczenie zjawiska niesprawiedliwości epistemicznej.
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Social Media Trolling: An fsQCA Approach
Conference Paper
  • Jan 2024
The rise of online social media has fostered increasing instances of deviant online behaviour. One of the most lethal is collective bullying i.e., trolling, which has severe impacts including suicides of victims. Yet, it remains a mystery what kind of factors lead social media users to engage in trolling. To explain social media trolling, we contextualized concepts from deindividuation theory. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis technique to analyse survey data from 337 Facebook users, three configurations explaining social media trolling have been developed. The results suggest that social media affordances and deindividuation states together give rise to trolling. Our results offer theoretical and practical implications.
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Portrait of the Self-Enhancer: Well Adjusted and Well Liked or Maladjusted and Friendless?
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2003
Research has variously portrayed self-enhancement as an indicator of narcissistic defensiveness or as a concomitant of mental health. To address this controversy, the present study used multiple measures of self-enhancement along with multiple measures and judges of mental health, comprehensively assessing their relationship. The results indicated that self-enhancement is positively associated with multiple indicators of mental health and with a more favorable impact on others. Discussion centers on a reconciliation of discrepant portraits of the self-enhancer.
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Beyond vandalism: Wikipedia trolls
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2010
  • J INF SCI
Research on trolls is scarce, but their activities challenge online communities; one of the main challenges of the Wikipedia community is to fight against vandalism and trolls. This study identifies Wikipedia trolls’ behaviours and motivations, and compares and contrasts hackers with trolls; it extends our knowledge about this type of vandalism and concludes that Wikipedia trolls are one type of hacker. This study reports that boredom, attention seeking, and revenge motivate trolls; they regard Wikipedia as an entertainment venue, and find pleasure from causing damage to the community and other people. Findings also suggest that trolls’ behaviours are characterized as repetitive, intentional, and harmful actions that are undertaken in isolation and under hidden virtual identities, involving violations of Wikipedia policies, and consisting of destructive participation in the community.
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Searching for Safety Online: Managing "Trolling" in a Feminist Forum
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2002
A common phenomenon in online discussion groups is the individual who baits and provokes other group members, often with the result of drawing them into fruitless argument and diverting attention from the stated purposes of the group. This study documents a case in which the members of a vulnerable online community—a feminist web-based discussion forum—are targeted by a “troller” attempting to disrupt their discussion space. We analyze the strategies that make the troller successful and the targeted group largely ineffectual in responding to his attack, as a means to understand how such behavior might be minimized and managed in general. The analysis further suggests that feminist and other non-mainstream online forums are especially vulnerable, in that they must balance inclusive ideals against the need for protection and safety, a tension that can be exploited by disruptive elements to generate intragroup conflict. Indiana University
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Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental Health promotion
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2004
Self-evaluation is crucial to mental and social well-being. It influences aspirations, personal goals and interaction with others. This paper stresses the importance of self-esteem as a protective factor and a non-specific risk factor in physical and mental health. Evidence is presented illustrating that self-esteem can lead to better health and social behavior, and that poor self-esteem is associated with a broad range of mental disorders and social problems, both internalizing problems (e.g. depression, suicidal tendencies, eating disorders and anxiety) and externalizing problems (e.g. violence and substance abuse). We discuss the dynamics of self-esteem in these relations. It is argued that an understanding of the development of self-esteem, its outcomes, and its active protection and promotion are critical to the improvement of both mental and physical health. The consequences for theory development, program development and health education research are addressed. Focusing on self-esteem is considered a core element of mental health promotion and a fruitful basis for a broad-spectrum approach.
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The Online Disinhibition Effect
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2004
While online, some people self-disclose or act out more frequently or intensely than they would in person. This article explores six factors that interact with each other in creating this online disinhibition effect: dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of authority. Personality variables also will influence the extent of this disinhibition. Rather than thinking of disinhibition as the revealing of an underlying "true self," we can conceptualize it as a shift to a constellation within self-structure, involving clusters of affect and cognition that differ from the in-person constellation.
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Self-Esteem, Interpersonal Risk, and Preference for E-Mail to Face-To-Face Communication
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2004
The media choices made by high and low self-esteem Internet users were studied using web-based methodology (n = 265). Participants were asked to rank four media (face-to-face, e-mail, letter, and telephone) in order of preference across four different communication scenarios designed to pose an interpersonal risk. The level of interpersonal risk posed by two of the scenarios (asking for a pay rise and asking for a date) were also experimentally manipulated by randomly allocating participants to a 25%, 50%, or 75% chance of rejection. Low self-esteem users (LSE) showed a significant preference toward e-mail communication compared to high self-esteem users (HSE). This pattern was reversed for face-to-face preferences. Similarly, a greater chance of rejection in a scenario led to e-mail being preferred to face-to-face communication. The results are discussed in light of both the strategic use of different media and the motivated Internet user.
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Peer Relationships and Internalizing Problems in Adolescents: Mediating Role of Self-Esteem
Article
  • Dec 2007
This study examined whether self‐esteem mediated the association between peer relationships and internalizing problems (i.e., depression and social anxiety). A total of 7290 (3756 girls) adolescents (ages 13–18 years) completed self‐report measures of peer relationships, including direct and indirect victimization, social isolation, friendship attachment (alienation and trust) and friendship quality (conflict and support), as well as self‐esteem, social anxiety and depression. Regression analyses indicated that self‐esteem partially mediated the relations between social isolation, friendship attachment (alienation) and both depression and social anxiety, whereas friendship attachment (trust) was a partial mediator for depression only. Overall, linkages between peer relationships and depression were more strongly mediated by self‐esteem than those between peer relationships and social anxiety. Theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.
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Beyond griefing: Virtual crime
Article
  • Nov 2010
  • Comput Law Secur Rep
Because there is so much money involved in virtual worlds these days, there has been an increase in criminal activity in these worlds as well. The gaming community calls people who promote conflict “griefers”. Griefers are people who like nothing better than to kill team-mates or obstruct the game’s objectives. Griefers scam, cheat and abuse. Recently, they have begun to set up Ponzi schemes. In games that attempt to encourage complex and enduring interactions among thousands of players, “griefing” has evolved from being an isolated nuisance to a social disease. Much in the same way crime has become the real world’s social disease. Grief is turning into crime.
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An Empirical Study of Problematic Internet Use and Self-Esteem
Article
  • Jan 2011
Previous research has alluded to the existence of a relationship between self-esteem and problematic Internet use. The main aim of the study was to examine the relationship between problematic Internet use and a number of distinct demographic, behavioural, and psychosocial variables. Using an online survey, a self-selected sample comprising 1,467 Internet users participated in the study. The survey comprised 50 questions including validated scales for both self-esteem (Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale) and problematic Internet use (Internet Related Problem Scale; IPRS) in addition to demographic information. Based on previous literature, it was hypothesized that problematic Internet users were more likely than non-problematic Internet users to post low self-esteem scores. Results showed that self-esteem was strongly and negatively associated with IRPS. Also, for those with high IRPS scores, participation in online forums was the primary online activity followed by online gaming and chatting. Although the study comprised a self-selecting sample and utilized self-report, the results appear to provide robust evidence of an association between self-esteem and problematic Internet use mirroring prior research in the area.
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Self-esteem and cognitive development in the era of the childhood obesity epidemic
Article
  • Nov 2008
  • OBES REV
Consequences of obesity for mental health and cognitive development are not established to the same degree as those for chronic diseases. This study aims to document the interrelationships between body weight, self-esteem and school performance in childhood. Height and weight measurements and self-report of self-esteem, diet quality and physical activity of 4945 grade 5 students were linked with standardized literacy test results. Structural equation models were applied to confirm hypothesized relationships between body weight, self-esteem and school performance, and revealed that body weight affected self-esteem negatively and that school performance affected self-esteem positively. Body weight did not affect school performance, and self-esteem did affect neither body weight nor school performance. Subsequent multi-level logistic regression showed that obese students, relative to normal weight students, were more likely (1.44; 95% CI: 1.12-1.84), and students with good school performance, relative to those performing poor, were less likely (0.39; 95% CI: 0.26-0.58), to have low self-esteem. Diet quality and active living had positive effects on both school performance and self-esteem. The study findings further establish obesity as a risk factor for low self-esteem and add to the rationale to promote healthy eating and active living among children and youth as this will prevent chronic diseases and improve mental health and cognitive development.
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