Why do people troll on the Internet?

"You are nothing. Kill yourself. " Comments like this are now found all over the Internet, regardless of whether they are Facebook, thematic forums or news sites.

Such behavior can be ranged from abuse and obscenities, personal insults, sexual harassment or direct hate speech.

Troll only users, sociopaths?

In a recent poll it was found that about four out of ten Internet users were victims of such harassment in the network, and many more people witnessed such things. Trolling sometimes becomes so fierce that moderators of some sites decide to completely delete such comments.

Many believe that trolling is the lot of a tiny minority of sociopaths. This point of view is only strengthened by media reports, as well as by some studies on the subject of trolling, which focused on communicating with such individuals. Some studies have even shown that trolls have certain characteristic personality and biological traits, such as sadism or a tendency to excessive stimulation.

Perhaps the reason is different? Large-Scale Project

But what if not all trolls are born this way? What if these are the most ordinary people? In a recent study, it was found that people can be encouraged to troll other people in suitable conditions. After analyzing 16 million comments and conducting a controlled experiment online, the researchers found two key factors that could lead to the fact that the most ordinary people will start trolling in the network.

Researchers invited to participate in the project 667 people, placing an ad on the crowdsourcing platform. They were asked to take the test, read the article, and then take part in its discussion. Each participant read the same article, but some of them were given the opportunity to participate in the discussion that began with the comments of the trolls, while other people saw the usual neutral comments. In this case, trolling was considered relative to the standard criteria of the online community, such as scammers, abuse, racism and insults. The test, which participants took place from the very beginning, also differed: it could be either simple or more complex.

The number one factor: the mood

Analysis of comments on the Internet also helped to confirm and deepen the results obtained during the experiment. The first factor that affects trolling is the person's mood. In the course of the experiment those participants who had a bad mood were more likely to start trolling. It was also found that the activity of trolls varies on different days of the week and even at different times of the day, but at the same time it coincides with natural changes in human mood.

Most often trolling occurs late in the evening, and least often - early in the morning. Its peak trolling reaches on Monday, at the very beginning of the working week. Moreover, it has been found that a bad mood can go beyond what it was caused. Suppose a person participates in a discussion in which other people write trolling comments. If this person then goes to another discussion, he will most likely continue to troll there.

Factor number two: the context

The second factor is the context of the discussion. If the discussion starts with a troll's comment, then the likelihood that other people will respond in the same spirit doubles if compared to a discussion that starts with an ordinary neutral comment.

Please note that the effect is cumulative. The more trolling comments in the discussion, the more likely that new members will also leave such comments. In general, this experiment shows how much the initial comments in the discussion can have a strong influence.

Predicting negative behavior

Researchers wondered if it would be possible, if we put together these two factors, to predict where the trolls' comments will actually appear? Using machine learning algorithms, they were able to predict whether a particular person would troll, in eighty percent of cases. Interestingly, the mood and context of the discussion together proved to be a much stronger indicator of trolling than attempts to determine which of the people specifically will troll. In other words, trolling is caused by the environment, rather than inherited traits.

How does trolling spread?

So, considering the fact that trolling is a situational behavior and ordinary people can be provoked by trolling, this behavior can go from one person to another. A single troll comment in a discussion that may have been left by a person who got up on the wrong foot in the morning can lead to a worsening of the mood of other participants in the discussion and to the fact that more such comments will appear not only in this but also in Many other discussions. As this negative behavior continues to spread, trolling can become the norm in online communities if it is not controlled.

Fighting trolling

Yes, the results of the research are quite shocking, but they can help people create the best online space for joint discussions. Understanding the factors that cause the trolling, it is now much easier to understand when this will happen. Thus, potentially dangerous discussions can be detected in advance and reported to moderators who can interfere with what is happening and prevent the manifestation of aggression in the network.

Machine learning algorithms can test millions of comments much more quickly and efficiently than any person. By teaching the computer to determine the behavior that can potentially lead to trolling, you can identify and filter unwanted content at a much higher rate. Social interventions can also help reduce the amount of trolling in the network. For example, if people were allowed to edit the messages they wrote, one could minimize the regrets about messages sent recklessly at the height of the dispute. You can also change the context of the discussion, giving priority to constructive comments that do not carry offenses. It helps even the attachment in the very top of the forum messages with the rules of this forum.