Cyber Trolls Are Sadists

[icyfroth]

I found this while I was browsing the news and thought it a good supplement to the faun's thread about trolls and snitches...

Internet trolls who start arguments and make inflammatory remarks to provoke responses online have, unsurprisingly, been found to be psychopaths in real life too.

The latest trolling study from the University of Manitoba in Canada involved two surveys that showed people who troll tend to be sadists or psychopaths.

"Trolling correlated positively with sadism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism, using both enjoyment ratings and identity scores," wrote study author Erin Buckels in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

The researchers found sadism, which is the tendency to derive pleasure from causing others pain or humiliation, was the trat most commonly associated with internet trolling.

Dr Brent Coker, a University of Melbourne online consumer psychologist, told ninemsn that trolls are like the Joker in the Batman movies.

"Their motives are similar – it's somebody who prefers to remain anonymous and they ridicule other people for their own humour," he said.

"People who engage in trolling behaviour are not usually normal in terms of their personality and have inbuilt sadistic traits."

Dr Coker said the internet has provided a forum for these people to derive pleasure, but it's difficult to know whether cyberspace has caused more sadists, or whether the sadists have always been there, but acting in less obvious ways.

"Prior to the internet, they would have done things like malicious gossip –spreading horrible rumours or horrible secrets about other people behind their backs with the intent of causing damage against other people for their own enjoyment," he said.

"Usually human beings feel bad when hurting other people. Sadists don't have that – they don't feel remorse or guilt when they hurt other people. They actually get enormous personal satisfaction and enjoyment from what they do."

Comedians Roy and HG are currently under attack online for their shows about the Sochi Winter Olympics.

"I don't know how they keep so upbeat and happy when they are copping those comments," Dr Coker said.

Scottish speed skater Elise Christie said she almost pulled out of the Sochi games after copping online abuse following a collision last week.

The Australian swimming team blamed their poor performance at the London Olympics on too much time spent on social media, which exposed them to trolls who distracted them and shook their confidence.

From Here

People take way too much notice of what perfect faceless strangers type up to them.

[cherry*135]

No gangs here, Individuals expressing their own thoughts. If someone posts something they agree with they give them a kudo.

[nevynreally]

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@boris1gary wrote:

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@buzzlightyearsgirlfriend wrote:

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@izabsmiling wrote:

an example is interpersonal post which so far has 7 Kudos .Some of these can seem like children clapping on a school yard bully .

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More like a gang of schoolchildren.  

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yes except children at least have the fact that they are very young and inexperienced as a reason if not an excuse.

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So you're saying more than one person doesn't agree with what you post they are bullies? Children who don't know better? A gang?

[freakiness]

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@boris1gary wrote:

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@am*3 wrote:

• Does the person (any person) resurrect old conversations or discussions that were once controversial within the community?

Yes, I have noticed that here. So that is trolling too? I didn't realise that.

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there has been more than 1 old thread resurrected in the last couple of days, one a political one? what you have quoted wasn't written by any poster here, so the point is? if you take the list apart piece by piece then of course everyone and everything could be called something or other.

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My hand is up. Not political, no reason other than I was having a first world peeve  :D:D

If anyone thinks there was any other motive I can't help them.

I thought about resurrecting the finger nail one too  :D:D

Just to brag a bit about my repair job lasting for soooooo long.

[buzzlightyearsgirlfriend]

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@am*3 wrote:

No gangs here, Individuals expressing their own thoughts. If someone posts something they agree with they give them a kudo.

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[buzzlightyearsgirlfriend]

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@nevynreally wrote:

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@boris1gary wrote:

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@buzzlightyearsgirlfriend wrote:

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@izabsmiling wrote:

an example is interpersonal post which so far has 7 Kudos .Some of these can seem like children clapping on a school yard bully .

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More like a gang of schoolchildren.  

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yes except children at least have the fact that they are very young and inexperienced as a reason if not an excuse.

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So you're saying more than one person doesn't agree with what you post they are bullies? Children who don't know better? A gang?

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If it walks like a duck...

[izabsmiling]

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@nevynreally wrote:

So why did you kudo at least two of my posts iza?

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I agree with those posts .

[luna-2304]

“Hello, everyone. This thread has been getting interpersonal. Could we please be mindful of the Community Guidelines when making posts. http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/everyone-boards.html

Thanks!”

[the*scarlet*pimpernel]

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@youcandoityoucandoityoucandoit wrote:

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@nevynreally wrote:

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@freakiness wrote:

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@chuk_77 wrote:

so a question if I may?

A group of geese is called a gaggle

A group of cows is called a herd

Agroup of crows is called a murder

So is a group of trolls called a gang?

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It could be a ganglehurderer

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Most people would call them losers.

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It could be 

a group of trolls is a trollope?

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a troupe of trollopes  

[izabsmiling]

I use kudos as they are indended to.I won't and don't kudo nasty posts though as I see that the same as being a bully myself.I try not to reward things which aren't appropriate in this setting.It kind of reduces the value of kudos imo.

Sometimes I'd like a half kudo option ...I agree or like some of a post but not quite all 

btw:at no time over the course of this thread have I called anyone a bully 

[*pepe]

just remember - nasty is in the eye of the beholder.