From Mother Jones: Study Shows Internet Trolls ARE Sadistic Psychopaths

[cuddyclothes]

When trolls attack, many take it personally.  This article discusses a study of Internet trolls, and they're just as bad in real life as on the interwebs.  Please link anyone who has been badly hurt by trolls to this entry.http://www.

Comments

[chocolate_frapp]

Trolls suck, but I think youtube screwed up by making it impossible to reply to anybody's comment.

[cuddyclothes]

It's impossible? I haven't been able to comment for some reason.

[jessm78]

Honestly, why do the results of this study not surprise me at all? And of course they feel like they're invincible because they're behind a cloak of anonymity on the internet. I was on Usenet newsgroups back in the late 90s, and one in particular had a nasty infestation of trolls. I remember them attacking me on the day my grandmother died. I was nearly hysterical crying.

[cuddyclothes]

That is beyond horrible. I am so sorry!

I've been in a few communities where chaos reigned, the fires fanned by a few crazies. Almost always anonymous.

[jessm78]

Thanks, they were absolutely disgusting. I learned how to block them so I wouldn't have to put up with it. Another girl's father was in the hospital having heart surgery, and she was talking about how watching TV helped her cheer up. One troll under different aliases kept posting all these horrible things about her father, all these assumptions like he's an alcoholic and making nasty comments about her weight. I felt horrible on her behalf.

*nods* I had someone leave an anonymous comment on one of my LJ posts some years back. I'd posted a review for Stargate SG-1 and had mentioned how my disappointment with the show was growing. They said to me "You should probably just kill yourself." Even though they were anonymous I had a feeling of who it was (and they weren't on my flist...I had a link to my LJ in a forum where I posted, they were most likely from there).

[srsly_yes]

I don't know about that study. I have a hunch some trolls are milquetoasts IRL that get their frustrations out through the internet. Kinda like how some people go nuts behind the wheel of a car.

[taikohymn]

Not surprised since I used to know one in real life before I knew what this whole troll thing was and the worst part is no one was safe from him offline either, not even his wife or his best friend. No even moderately adequate social skills were in his possession.

One prime GOP example

[blackmare]

Todd Kincannon, of SC, was until recently the head of the Republican party there. Said he:

"One of the things I like to do on Twitter is I'll tweet something inflammatory, kind of borderline crazy-sounding just for fun. And I enjoy watching people go nuts," Kinkannon said. "One of the best things about it is if you say something that's borderline offensive or if it is offensive, the people that attack you and say just the awfulest [sic] things about you, they do the very thing that they accuse you of."

The full article is here, but be aware it is truly disgusting, so reader discretion is advised.