Institute of Marriage

TROLLS: DEMONS OF THE INTERNET

What You Did Not Know or Even Think to Question

J.D. Krause - July 12, 2022

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CONTENTS

 

A. What is an Internet Social Media Troll

B. Personality Traits Associated with Trolls

C. Distinguishing Between Types of Trolls

(i) Recreational Trolls

(ii) Professional Trolls

D. How to Spot a Troll on Social Media (Part-1)

1. Profiles

2. Names

3. Comments

4. Off-topic comments

5. Ignoring facts and evidence

6. Personal attacks

7. Their friend’s list

8. Filter their profile page

E. How to Spot a Troll on Social Media (Part-2)

1. Photos

2. URL

3. IP Address

F. The Trouble with Trolls

G. What to Do About Trolls

H. Yes, You Can Sue Trolls

I. How Trolls Hide

J. Trick Attacks to Harm You 

1. The hook, line, and sinker

2. When it looks like you have been hacked

K. Test Your Skill Spotting the Troll

L. Conclusion

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YOU just read an interesting article on the internet and posted a comment. Someone responded to it, and you replied. Then another person responded and again you replied, looking forward to the discussion that had started.

 

Then someone else responds: "You don’t know what you’re talking about; you’re an idiot and a liar." You just encountered an internet troll.

 

Here is why you should be concern and some thoughts on what to do about it. As noted in a study published in the journal, Personality and Individual Differences:

 

"By educating Facebook users that the goals of trolling are to cause social chaos through negative interpersonal interactions, this may empower users to take more educated action against trolling behavior and hopefully reduce its negative impact." [1]

 

Under the heading "A Psychological Profile of Online Trolls Shows High Self Esteem and a Penchant for Sadism," senior lecturer of psychology Evita March wrote:

 

"It appears the popular refrain is correct: don’t feed the trolls and give them the hurt or angry response they are looking for.

 

"This does not mean we should just ignore this behavior. People who commit this type of cyber abuse should still be held accountable for their actions.

 

"I propose we change the narrative. Trolls are not to be feared — their power lies in the reactions they cause.

 

"One way we can start is to become active bystanders. Bystanders are those who witness the trolling. Active bystanders intervene and say, ‘this is not okay’.

 

"Don’t fight fire with fire. Respond with outward indifference and strict no tolerance. Let’s work together to dismantle the power of the troll and take back the internet from their influence.

 

"It is not only up to the person experiencing the trolling to respond and manage the behavior. We all need to take responsibility for our online environment." [2]

 

In other words, while we may not be able to completely avoid trolls, we certainly can thwart their ambitions.

 

A. What is an Internet Social Media Troll

 

Trolls, as that term relates to internet social media, are those who post comments meant to upset or insult others to get a reaction; particularly on sites which they neither agree with nor support.

 

"An Internet troll is a member of an online social community who deliberately tries to disrupt, attack, offend or generally cause trouble within the community by posting certain comments, photos, videos, GIFs or some other form of online content." [3]

 

"An internet troll is someone who makes intentionally inflammatory, rude, or upsetting statements online to elicit strong emotional responses in people or to steer the conversation off-topic." [4]

 

"An Internet troll is someone who comes into a discussion and posts comments designed to upset or disrupt the conversation. [T]here is no real purpose behind their comments except to upset everyone else involved. Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response." [5]

 

A popular meme showing a green looking creature representing a troll, sitting with a laptop, says it quite well:

 

"Troll make internet mad. Troll like anger. Troll wants people as miserable as troll."

 

B. Personality Traits Associated with Trolls

 

According to researchers, psychologists, and other experts on the matter, the common "personality traits" that trolls share, together referred to as The Dark Triad are:

 

• Machiavellism (manipulative)

• Narcissism (inflated and distorted self-worth)

• Psychopathic (lacking empathy; anti-social behaviors)

 

Many even add, Sadism (pleasure in inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others). [6]

 

The common checkpoints for presence of the dark triad are:

 

1. Manipulates others to get their way

2. Lacks remorse

3. Wants others to admire them

4. Unconcerned with the morality of their actions

5. Uses deceit or lies to get their way

6. Callous or insensitive

7. Uses flattery to attain the compliance of others

8. Seek prestige or status

9. Cynical

10. Exploits others for their own gains

11. Wants others to pay attention to them

 

All of which make trolls magnets for conflict and disagreement. [7]

 

Some experts even compare troll behavior to cyberbullying. However, at least one study maintains while trolling and cyberbullying share similar traits such as aggression, nonetheless they are distinct antisocial behaviors. [8]

 

C. Distinguishing Between Types of Trolls

 

While different sources may list upwards to 20 different types of trolls, simpler they can be categorized either a "recreational" or "professional" troll.

 

(i) Recreational Trolls

 

The troll personality traits just discussed probably are more commonly associated with recreational trolls.

 

A survey of more than 1,000 participants, arguably the most quoted survey, published under the heading "Internet Trolls Explain Why They Do What They Do" found that 5.6% of people commenting on social media are trolls. Considering how many users there are on the internet daily, that is a ton of people. [9]

 

That 5.6% more likely refers to recreational trolls, since professional trolls for a variety of reasons normally do not see themselves as or admit to being a troll, nor do they necessarily share the exact same personality traits.

 

All trolls are of concern but some shape rather than fit into the pigeonhole.

 

Hailed as the world’s greatest social media troll, Ken McCarthy (aka: Ken M) explained how he plays a well-meaning moron on the internet, leaving a trail of dunderheaded, obtuse statements in comment threads that infuriate people who do not realize his idiocy is all part of an exceptionally clever ruse. [10]

 

While this may suggest that Ken M is a professional troll, it would probably be more accurate to say he is a recreation troll since he acts alone and not in cohorts with any organization or group. 

 

For example, under an article "Military Moms in Breastfeeding Photos Say They’ve Been Silenced by Superiors," we find Ken M saying the follows:

 

Ken M – "Aside from being completely unnecessary, breastfeeding encourages babies to objectify women."

 

Igott16 – "Ah…hummmm…how do you figure that?"

 

Ken M – "Dr Phil says it makes babies view women as brainless milk machines."

 

Igott16 – "Yup, I like Dr. Phil too. Don’t always agree with his statements though. Sure, you didn’t take this out of context? Don’t really think that the infants have the capacity to regard their mothers in that manner. They’re thought processes are not that defined in early infancy."

 

Ken M – "He also said there is no need for breastfeeding now that we’ve discovered cows."

 

Igott16 – "Oh my goodness! Tell me you are kidding. PLEASE."

 

Ken M – "Then again cows are twice as likely to urinate on the suckling baby." [11]

 

Of course, that is not the sort of comments or responses we are used to from recreational trolls which often include swearing ("what a dumb cunt"), personal attacks ("you’re an idiot and one of the things that’s wrong with this country.") veiled insults ("Hillary isn’t half the man Bernie is!!! lol"), sarcasm ("you sound very white, and very male. Must be nice"), as well as off-topic statements ("Biden’s staffs are dropping off like a fly just adds pudding to the cake").

 

(ii) Professional Trolls

 

While recreational trolls primarily act alone or in loosely netted groups, professional trolls, who are not the green creature described above, generally are affiliated with a political organization, special interest group or large business/corporation. Many of them are paid for their trolling. [12]

 

Democrats rely heavily on paid professional trolls preferring instead to call them "social media influencers." [13]

 

Manny Schewits, founder of Modern Liberals is quoted as having said:

 

"I use trolling because trying to get through right-wingers with logic is nearly impossible. I know, because I was raised in a very conservative household.

 

"If you troll them and get them off their script, you can then force them to do some really interesting mental gymnastics and maybe rethink their belief system ever so slightly. You can’t knock the wall down, but you can create dozens of little cracks in it." [14]

 

It is no secret that the mission of a professional troll is to distort public opinion and spread propaganda in order to generate a "consensus reality" at any price. In comment sections on social media, they also seek to soak the discussion with nonessential garbage, as do recreational trolls, in order to prevent any real discussion.

 

Also, professional trolls will rarely get mad and are not easily provoked unless it is part of their strategy. Their approach is a mirage showing agreement with you as well as to befriend you, though shorter than the arm can reach is and of it real. It is the "softening point" to the next step involving strategized manipulation.

 

D. How to Spot a Troll on Social Media (Part-1)

 

We can all attest to trolls are provocative, add nothing positive to a discussion, try to steer us away from the topic of the discussion, and constantly seek out conflict. Of course, these are just some of the more obvious flags indicating someone may be a troll, particularly a recreational troll.

 

On Facebook other warning flags to look for are:

 

1. Profiles

 

Does the profile show no information and/or profile photo?

 

If not, then that may indicate it belongs to a troll. However, trolls will also use a picture of a model or other stock photo. In that case look for a photo that is too perfect, suggesting it was taken by a professional photographer. We will talk more about that below, Part-2.

 

2. Names

 

Is the person’s name on the profile too generic?

 

Trolls generally do not use their real names if they can avoid it. Instead, they will use combinations of popular names (i.e., John, Kathy, Sam, Miller, Smith, Brown) that generally do not raise suspicion, and an internet search will show too many people with the same name for the search to be useful.

 

3. Comments

 

Does the person frequently post rude or foul language comments?

 

This may require not just looking at the profile but also elsewhere on social media where the person comments. Again, as all of us can attest to trolls often comment with outrageous statements, inflammatory content and excessive profanity, picking fights and responding to any criticism with personal (ad hominem) attacks.

 

4. Off-topic comments

 

Does the person go off-topic and seek to lead from there?

 

Trolls often comment completely off-topic, mixing things up and constantly changing what is being said – putting the other person in a defensive mode and thus controlling the discussion. Of course, trolls also go off-topic [and post irrelevant remarks] for no other reason than to annoy and disrupt things, preventing an otherwise positive and meaningful discussion.

 

5. Ignoring facts and evidence

 

Does the person ignore hard facts and evidence given to them?

 

When the person is called out for being wrong or not stating the facts, even when presented with the facts and evidence, yet ignores all that is a good flag they may be a troll; that they are not looking to draw any conclusions from their discussion, do not care about being right or wrong, but just want to create chaos and be disruptive. The more someone argues or engages with them, the more fun they have.

 

6. Personal attacks

 

Does the person comment or respond with name-calling?

 

For example, trolls often start their comment or responses with something like, "Morons like you only know how to...," or "Your kind of people like to think…." The latter may not qualify as name-calling, yet the point is, not only are they accusing you of something or making assumptions about what you think and feel, but it is also a type of character assassination.

 

7. Their friend’s list

 

Does the person reveal their friends?

 

Visible Friend List: Normally people seek connection with friends and others locally. If their friend list shows a higher percentage of foreign friends, then it is probably a fake profile. If someone is from Kansas why then would they have so many friends from, for example, Nigeria, India or Russia?

 

Also, on a visible friend list check for known trolls as well as the profiles of three or more friends from the list for any warning flags.

 

Hidden Friend List: If there are posts check for responses and who responded, even any emoji given to the post by hitting on it.

 

While any single or combination of these may raise a warning flag that someone is a troll, often the best indicator is our gut feeling. If it is telling us that someone is a troll that may very well be the case.

 

Also, a just published article by MalwareFox can be very helpful addressing this; and another by SocialMaharaj for questions concerning received friend requests. [15], [16]

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8. Filter their profile page

 

Does the person have a history that supports them?

 

On their profile (home) page above the top post you should see the word "Posts" and next to that FILTER which you want to hit on. Fill in the dates going back to at least two years, even before that, and see what sort of things they were posting back then if anything. Of course, a troll with a fake profile or anyone new to FB will not have a history.

 

E. How to Spot a Troll on Social Media (Part-2)

 

Many of the same flags indicating someone might be a scammer also apply to trolls.

 

1. Photos

 

Fake photos (falsely representing the photo as oneself) are commonly used by both scammers and trolls, often as their profile photo. One way to verify a photo, though not full proof, is:

 

a) Click on the photo or as said in the tech world, image;

 

b) Click "Save the image" and give it a title;

 

c) Go to "TinEye Reverse Image Search" at https://tineye.com; and

 

d) Click on Upload (or other option) and then upload the image.

 

Do not be surprised if what you are looking at is a stock photo available to anyone and commonly used by both scammers and trolls. However, recreational trolls prefer to steal their fake photos from other peoples’ Facebook profiles and photo albums. A simple "copy and paste" and they have it.

 

For example: In a recent search it was discovered that scammers using numerous names were using the same stock photo of Randy White. [17]

 

In another search it was discovered scammers, particularly foreign scammers, many of them were using the same photo of U.S. Space Command Army Gen. James H. Dickinson believed taken from his Facebook page. [18]

 

You may also go to “images.google.com” and on the search bar hit on the camera (the words "Search by Image" will appear), then hit on Upload an image, the Choose a file and select photo.

 

However, when using Google photo search expect new and additional cookies and spam to show up on your computer.

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By the way, there are ways to protect your photos from being stolen or at least from being successfully used. One way is downsizing your photo or better, watermarking. For more detail information see the footnote indicated here and look for "Consider watermarking your photos before posting on Facebook." [19]

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Otherwise if you have already read the recommended information (see footnote mentioned above) a short cut to the watermark tool can be found at https://watermarkup.com/watermark.html.

 

2. URL

 

On Facebook, look at the Uniform Resource Locator or URL for someone on their home/profile page. Does the name on the URL match the person’s profile name?

 

For example, if you were looking at the profile for John Doe the URL should read www.facebook.com/profile/john.doe/. Your URL should read the same except your name instead of John Doe, and in may have additional characters after that.

 

If the names do not match this should be seen as a warning flag that what you are looking at may be a fake profile, possibly being used by a troll.

 

The URL specifies location, protocol, and specific resource. For more detail information see the footnote indicated here. [20]

 

On other profiles we might see instead of a name, www.facebook.com/profile.php?id (prolife.php) followed with a string of numbers unique to the user. However, this should only partially raise a flag that it is a fake profile. [21]

 

3. IP Address

 

While the URL specifies location, protocol, and specific resource, an IP address just specifies the location but is a primary tool used in detecting scammers, especially those operating from outside the United States. [22]

 

Searching an IP address can be a lot of work and is not needed in searching whether someone is a troll; but helpful if you can get the hang of it.

 

Still, there are some really good websites to help you on how to find and read an IP address, even how to create a fake one. See the footnotes indicated here. [23], [24]

 

Pertaining to scammers and scams, the FBI as well provides some really good information on how to spot them and tips to avoid them, from romance scams to purchase scams and in between. [25], [26]

 

F. The Trouble with Trolls

 

As we know trolls, especially recreational trolls thrive on being offensive, argumentative and disruptive and the more you respond unfavorably to their behavior, the more successful they consider themselves to be. It is a vicious cycle that can infect entire discussions, threads and even a whole website.

 

It is said that the loudest voice in the room will drown out everyone else. On social media trolls interpret that to say the most inflammatory and outrageous comments.

 

• Trolls favorite tools are name-calling, mocking, belittling, ridiculing, gaslighting, non-reasoning, evading questions, or anything else that will cause negative reactions and/or emotional harm.

 

• Once a troll has decided to target you, they zero in and everything you say or do online becomes ammunition for their attacks.

 

• Trolls add nothing to a discussion; they only lower its quality by taking our attention off the topic and if left to do that, hijacking the discussion.

 

• Because far too few of us take the time to write, email or call our elected officials, it is not unheard of that they and their staff turn to our comments on social media for what we are thinking and saying. Yet, when we allow trolls to hold us down with nonessential garbage it essentially quiets our voice thus being heard by these elected officials.

 

Under the heading "High Esteem and Hurting Others Online: Trait Sadism Moderates the Relationship between Self-Esteem and Internet Trolling," and published in the journal, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, we are told:

 

"Recent research has shown that the general population considers trolling an intentional, provocative, and damaging behavior. Experiencing trolling has been associated with distress and significant negative psychological outcomes." [27]

 

Of course, all of us can add from our own observations and experiences even more reasons to be troubled by trolls.

 

G. What to Do About Trolls

 

Long before internet was ever a thought, Oscar Wilde said: "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." [28]

 

Another version of that may be "Any attention, even negative attention is better than none." Take that away from trolls, you take away their existence.

 

"For this reason, the best thing you can do about internet trolls, in fact the only effective thing you can do, is to ignore them entirely. It may sound overly simplistic, but it really does work. Because their entire goal is to get attention, if you refuse to capitulate and pay no attention, then in most cases they will eventually get frustrated or bored and go away. Engaging them in any way will only add fuel to the flame and make the situation that much worse." [29]

 

However, trolls can be persistent to the point of being impossible to simply just ignore them. In comparison it would be like saying mosquitoes are just annoying and will not hurt you, and you should just ignore them. But have you tried to sleep with a mosquito in your room?

 

A friend who never lets anything that falls of a troll’s mouth get to him nevertheless could not hold back when, even after he had left the discussion, the troll began talking about his kids. So, he exchanged a few more words with the troll until eventually he got the last one in. It shows sometimes you just cannot ignore a troll or let it go.

 

In those times you just got to go at it with a troll:

 

1. Make sure it is you leading and not the troll.

 

Trolls need to lead in order to have control, which is essential to where the discussion is taken and who has control over what is being discussed and giving them the upper hand. 

 

2. State your viewpoint and stick with it.

 

Keep hammering away at your viewpoint, harden yourself like steel, and never give in.

 

3. Maintain and establish control over the discussion.

 

Ask questions even when you have something to say, just be sure to add to it your question. Then be persistent in that the troll answers your question before the discussion can move on. If the troll answers and then asks his question to you, and it relates to the topic (otherwise tell them it does not relate to the topic of discussion), answer it if at all possible with a single sentence and then immediately ask the troll another question.

 

4. Do not believe a word of what they say.

 

The majority of people reading this are guilty of it. A troll makes a statement of fact and based on that supposedly factual statement either makes another statement and/or asks you a question. It happens probably with 90% of the people on social media, they then (without verifying for themselves) response to the second statement and/or question as if the first statement in fact, a fact. This is especially true with the mention of alleged polls, alleged research/scientific studies, alleged statements by famous others, etc.

 

5. Do to them as they do to you, only better.

 

If you find yourself wanting to respond (in more than a single sentence) to something the troll said, get the jump on him/her and after having stated your viewpoint:

 

a) Relentlessly restate your opinion, in complete oblivion to anything the troll says, like you are not even reading his/her reply to you; and

 

b) Misinterpret his/her statements. This is a very effective technique for derailing a troll and making them upset. You may even provoke the troll to give up and leave the conversation thread. Twist what they say and make it seem like the troll is agreeing with you. "I agree. Thanks for seeing my viewpoint. We seem to be on the same page now. That's exactly right. Glad I was able to convert you to my opinion." [30]

 

Keep hammering away at your viewpoint, harden yourself like steel, and never give in.

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6. Do not let trolls gang up on you.

 

Never in any discussion do we want to let trolls gang up on us. It opens the door to mistakes that are not necessary for us. Whether that is rushed into a response we did not mean to give or meant for someone else but mistakenly addressed to another; or causing us to miss an important point due to being overwhelmed or something else.

 

Trolls by allowing them to gang up on us, reinforcing one another, gives them momentum. Without that is weakens their ability to argue.  

 

Instead in any discussion we should focus on a single or at most two trolls, ignoring the others if not simply them.

 

7. Sometimes the best approach is just to block them.

 

At any point you can block a troll by going to their profile, to the right below the page photo and there hitting on the three dots and then "Block."

 

This can also be done to get in the last word while at the same time infuriating the troll, by stating your final word followed with immediately blocking them. They will see but not be able to respond to what you just said, your last word on the matter.

 

Also, you would find undeniably interesting if not also helpful the list "Distraction Fallacies" (with link to "Distraction Principles") addressing such things as "Discrediting the person before they speak," "Choice is A or B. Rejecting A is selecting B," "Mocking the other person’s claim," "A is assumed to cause B. B is proven wrong, so A is wrong," "Distracting them from their argument," and much more. See the footnotes indicated here. [31]

 

 

H. Yes, You Can Sue Trolls

 

Although there is no federal law in the United States prohibiting trolls or trolling (or online harassment), at least 35 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted such laws.

 

For example:

 

"In 2016, a jury awarded a Virginia man and his family a $1.4 million civil judgment, likely one of the largest penalties in an Internet trolling case in U.S. history (Jouvenal, 2016). The jury found an Internet troll liable for stalking, defamation, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress on the family during a period covering 2013 and 2014. The reign of terror even included a SWAT team being sent to the victim's home, false charges being filed against him, and he being accused online of molesting a girl." [32]

 

Similar lawsuits from Justin Bieber going after two anonymous accounts (trolls) who accused him of rape, to a college student saying she was harassed with racist messages on social media, are not uncommon. [33]

 

What these laws say and the levels of offense generally are simple:

 

Criminal – While trolling is not a crime under federal law, under the laws of many states, harassment, stalking, and bullying are illegal.

 

Civil – When a troll uses false, disparaging language to attack a target, these acts may constitute online defamation. Additionally, if the troll's attack is egregiously personal and offensive, the troll may be inflicting emotional distress on the victim. These are torts, and you may file a civil lawsuit against the troll for damages.

 

The website Know the Law covers this in an easy to understand one-page. It is also good reading for how to guard against and protect yourself, to know what you do not want to say to a troll. See the footnotes indicated here. [34]

 

I. How Trolls Hide

 

Some trolls have numerous FB accounts, and some share their page with other trolls. One of which many of us are all too familiar with (a low rated lawyer in New York) uses 19 aliases with a different profile for each. So, while you may think that you are arguing with three different trolls (or people), each supporting the others, it is actually just one person.

 

Also, on your FB page you may have experienced going to the SETTINGS and noticed on your "Block" list one or more names you did not recognize. Take another look at the list for any names you recall having blocked but are no longer appear there. When a troll or anyone for that fact changes the name on their profile it changes everywhere.

 

If there is more than one name you do not recognize and want to figure who is who and also recall a recent past discussion with a troll you then blocked but whose name no longer appears on the list, go to your SETTINGS, then ACTIVITY LOG, and then COMMENTS. Go to the date of the discussion and look for a comment/response from you to the troll. Did the name change and if so to what?

 

Or repeat the above but replace COMMENTS with LIKES AND REACTIONS and look for the comments/response from troll to you. Remember, the name may have changed so look not for the name you blocked but the comments/response to you that you recall.

 

Pertaining to the dates, you can go back as far as needed but it may take some experience to handle how to maneuver with any ease.

 

Also, trolls will hide behind FB confidentially to plan and then execute their attack on you, often resulting in the target finding them in FB jail. This is explained in a short blog article quite well titled, “Facebook Jail: How Facebook Empowers Trolls.” See the footnotes indicated here. [33]

 

Basically, trolls either working together or using multiple accounts (to appear as more than one person) will in a small window of time make numerous and similar complaints about you. Of course, FB does not tell you about these complaints they ate receiving, but after so many complaints will take action against you.

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J. Trick Attacks to Harm You

 

Anyone can be the "target of attack" by a troll seeking to do harm, with little or for no apparent reason.

 

1. The hook, line, and sinker

 

Trolls use the hook, line and sinker as "bait" to cause you harm; to elicit a response from you that they can report to FB to have your account suspended for a period of time (aka: FB Jail) or if they can permanently. Usually not realizing it until it is too late that you was set up.

 

It may start with a question, for example:

 

"What can be perverted about same-sex marriage?"

 

Or start with a statement, for example:

 

"Gay people are nice and you must respect them."

 

Anything in hopes of baiting you to say something, anything that can be reported FB as violating one of its so-called community standards: harassment, hate speech, mocking victims, bullying, violence, etc.

 

As widely noted, FB actually empowers trolls to be able to carry out these sorts of attacks. [36]

 

2. When it looks like you have been hacked

 

It is often asked do trolls hack FB accounts. While "hackers" and "trolls" generally are two different identities, the latter may impersonate you which can be confused with having been hacked.

 

What they do is steal one or more of your photos and start a new FB account, using also your name. It is that simple. Then they comment in different places impersonating you; even block you so you cannot see what they did. It is similar to what scammers do. Of course, such fake account can and should be reported to FB.

 

Another thing they do with these accounts impersonating you, is send out friend request; often times to people who are already your FB friend and simply think you started another account.

 

As said you can and should report this if it happens to you or a friend, as a fake account or impersonating you or someone else, but it usually takes three or more people to report it before FB will do anything.

 

K. Test Your Skill Spotting the Troll

 

So, does a fake profile photo or no photo at all point to a troll; what about intentionally inflammatory, rude, or upsetting comments? Individually we should think not. But any combination of these or other examples mentioned in this article certainly raise a warning flag.

 

This takes us to test your ability to spot whether someone is a troll. Go to https://spotthetroll.org and once there hit on "Start Now" and then "Profile 1" and start. There are eight profiles, one after another and in the end you will be scored.

 

Each profile begins with the profile, followed with question and you answering whether you think they are a troll. The following page will explain why your answer was correct or wrong, and what you should have looked for.

 

This will be repeated for all eight profiles.

 

The quiz presents users with eight social media profiles. The quiz-taker is asked to decide whether the account and the content it generates is authentic or fake. After each question, the site provides explanation and context for the correct answer.

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L. Conclusion

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The aim of an internet troll, at least the recreational troll, is to insult and use derogatory language to provoke and to instigate arguments with other people. Their reward is in the internet adage that goes, "Debating an idiot (troll) is like trying to play chess with a pigeon – it knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, and flies back to its flock to claim victory."

______________________________

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[1] See, “Why Internet Trolls Enjoy Making You Feel Bad,” Jennifer Golbeck, Ph.D., August 4, 2016, at www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-online-secrets/201608/why-internet-trolls-enjoy-making-you-feel-bad; “The Dark Side of Facebook: The Dark Tetrad, Negative Social Potency, and Trolling Behaviors,” Naomi Craker & Evita March, Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 102, November 2016, Pgs 79-84, at www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886916307930.

[2] See e.g., “A Psychological Profile of Online Trolls Shows High Self Esteem and a Penchant for Sadism,” senior lecturer of psychology Evita March, The Natural Interest, September 17, 2020, at https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/psychological-profile-online-trolls-shows-high-self-esteem-and-penchant-sadism-169047#:~:text=Trolling%20can%20cause%20significant%20harm%20and%20distress.%20It,suicidal%20ideation%2C%20and%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20even%20suicide; cf., “Social Media Is Harmful to Your Brain and Relationships,” Billi Gordon, Ph.D., Psychology Today, October 20, 2017, at www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/obesely-speaking/201710/social-media-is-harmful-your-brain-and-relationships. See also, “How to identify and Defeat an Internet Troll,” Steve Streight, The Peorian, Copyright © 2022, at www.peorian.com/technology/technology-news/trolls-cyberbullies/1079-how-to-identify-and-defeat-an-internet-troll#:~:text=%20How%20to%20Identify%20and%20Defeat%20an%20Internet,yourself%20like%20steel%2C%20and%20never%20give...%20More%20 (“You're posting comments on a blog, forum, or social media platform like Facebook or Twitter. There are probably other people expressing themselves, some agreeing with you and cheering you on, others disagreeing with you and trying to debunk your assertions. The conversation is heated, or passionate, but civilized. Strong opinions are stated and countered with other strident points of view. *** “Suddenly, someone, usually anonymous or using a nickname (pseudonym), starts attacking you. They may use filthy language, wild insults, and crazy misinterpretations”). 

[3] See, “10 Types of Internet Trolls You'll Meet Online,” Corey Parker, Association of Internet Research Specialist, February 4, 2017, at https://aofirs.org/articles/10-types-of-internet-trolls-you-ll-meet-online; cf., “Internet Trolling: How Do You Spot a Real Troll?” Elise Moreau, Lifewire, November 12, 2019, at www.lifewire.com/what-is-internet-trolling-3485891 (“In simple terms, trolling is when someone comments or responds to something you post, usually in a confrontational way that is designed to garner a strong, emotional reaction”).

[4] See, “What Is an Internet Troll, and How to Handle Trolls,” Vann Vicente, How-To Geek, January 21, 2020, at www.howtogeek.com/465416/what-is-an-internet-troll-and-how-to-handle-trolls/.

[5] See, “Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists,” Jennifer Golbeck, PhD, Psychology Today, September 18, 2014, at www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-online-secrets/201409/internet-trolls-are-narcissists-psychopaths-and-sadists.

[6] See e.g., “Trolls Just Want to Have Fun,” Buckels, Trapnell and Paulhus, Science Direct: Personality and Individual Differences, 67 (2014): 97-201, at https://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/trolls-just-want-to-have-fun.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0uhfsq3fasQaHIDaNXj3JQNxuEhCMjlbJMDjmaGir0FkHN8awDefgdZm4; also “Traits of a Troll: BYU Research Examines Motives of Internet Trolling, Brigham Young University (BYU), May 24, 2022, at https://news.byu.edu/intellect/whats-in-a-troll-byu-research-examines-motives-of-internet-trolling; and “The Power of Schadenfreude: Predicting Behaviors and Perceptions of Trolling among Reddit Users,” Brubaker, Montez and Church, Social Media & Society, June 11, 2021, at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/20563051211021382.

[7] See, “The Dark Triad: A Perfect Storm of Personality Disorders,” Psychic Elements, August 7, 2018, at https://psychicelements.com/blog/the-dark-triad-a-perfect-storm-of-personality-disorders/?fbclid=IwAR3zO5P5CCdapO4-gEVsugEkdn5HaE0UFq9-IP8NPmzrTiT6AFG2wEZIXN4; also, “The Dirty Dozen: A Concise Measure of the Dark Triad,” Research Gate (showing: Psychological Assessment) June 2010, at www.researchgate.net/publication/44653925_The_Dirty_Dozen_A_Concise_Measure_of_the_Dark_Triad?fbclid=IwAR0gHWFVO8hsCgSVt0mr19brc3Mb7nA61yMeHfPY_dJnV_ReV7ehMGmlHqI; and “New Research Shows Trolls Don't Just Enjoy Hurting Others, They Also Feel Good about Themselves,” Evita March, PhD, Medical Express (Psychology & Psychiatry), September 16, 2020, at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-trolls-dont-good.html.

[8] See, “High Esteem and Hurting Others Online: Trait Sadism Moderates the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Internet Trolling,” Evita March, Ph.D. and Genevieve Steele, MProfPsych, Cyberpsy, Behavior, and Social Networking, Vol. 23, No. 7, pgs 441-46, 2020, at www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cyber.2019.0652; cf., “Internet Troll Netiquette Rule 5 With 3 Tips,” David Chiles, Networketiquette, June 7, 2020, at https://networketiquette.net/internet-troll/.

[9] See, “Internet Trolls Explain Why They Do What They Do,” AlterNet, September 22, 2016, at www.alternet.org/2016/09/internet-trolls-explain-why-they-do-what-they-do/?fbclid=IwAR0enEeO5k2278Qxu3uv26GzYMObFpE50AUo8KlPT3NQWxqK7xSxXYBe3ow.

[10] See e.g., “10 Comments that Prove This Man is the Internet's Best Troll,” The Independent, April 19, 2016, at https://www.indy100.com/offbeat/10-comments-that-prove-this-man-is-the-internet-s-best-troll-7295706; See also, Ken M on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/kenmofficial, on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/horseysurprise?fbclid=IwAR0biLAahF5UWZBNMQNAuLaIzPWDQ0op0iB6x8qwXsyMnQmtwLCYOkjgwCQ, on Reddit, at www.reddit.com/r/KenM/, and on Tumblr, at https://horseysurprise.tumblr.com/?fbclid=IwAR2M01_ZGU-ieilqGugpSoF3yIawTw6gYW-u2mnlBDLqIOQLE9buRPml6to.

[11] See, “30 Hilarious Intentionally Stupid Comments by Ken M,” Minddaugas Balčiauskas, Boredpanda, November 1, 2017, at www.boredpanda.com/trolling-people-internet-funny-ken-m/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic.

[12] See e.g., “How to Get a Job as a Paid Troll,” Jack Jones, Jack In A Box, March 10, 2017, at https://jackthejones.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/how-to-get-a-job-as-a-paid-troll/?fbclid=IwAR1i-24KjP0n1GMB6cCMDfb3g2xi65FmkiHVfqG-8kk4LMbCAwrWqmWsTc8; also “Paid Internet Trolls,” Unknown Name, The Burning Platform, October 15, 2012, at www.theburningplatform.com/2012/10/15/paid-internet-trolls/?fbclid=IwAR0fJHJQHHo7aHJPFQFN9I435-DRAdcmQd-y_gt0cPVH5tzG7Pp_cazihxE; and “Professional Trolls are Getting Paid to Stir Up Trouble Online: Here’s Who’s Paying Them and Why,” Malavika Pradeep, Screenshot, April 16, 2021, at https://screenshot-media.com/technology/social-media/what-is-professional-trolling/. Cf. “How Trolls Make Money from their Online Hate Speech,” Leith Huffadine, July 13, 2018, at www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/104974643/how-trolls-make-money-from-their-online-hate-speech.

[13] See e.g., “Democrats to Deploy Paid Trolls and Stock Puppets,” Legal Insurrection, May 26, 2020, at

https://legalinsurrection.com/2020/05/democrats-deploy-paid-trolls-and-sock-puppets-to-counter-imaginary-right-wing-army-of-trolls-and-sock-puppets/; also, “Popular Twitter Troll Revealed to be on Democrat PAC Payroll and the Backlash is Brutal, Carlos Garcia, March 10, 2021, Blaze Media, at www.theblaze.com/news/brooklyn-dad-padellan-pac-paid.

[14] See, “Trolls Explain Why They Troll,” The Young Turks (video 2:08), September 26, 2016, at www.bing.com/videos/search?q=greatest+internet+troll+Ken+M&qpvt=greatest+internet+troll+Ken+M&view=detail&mid=BC02B48191EE6F6D22C8BC02B48191EE6F6D22C8&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dgreatest%2Binternet%2Btroll%2BKen%2BM%26qpvt%3Dgreatest%2Binternet%2Btroll%2BKen%2BM%26FORM%3DVDRE.

[15] See, “How to Spot Fake Facebook Profile,” Vince Polston, MalwareFox, July 24, 2022, at www.malwarefox.com/spot-fake-facebook-profile/.

[16] See, “Got a new friend request? 4 Ways to Spot a Fake Facebook Profile,” Atulmaharaj, SocialMaharaj, April 3, 2021, at https://socialmaharaj.com/2021/04/03/4-ways-to-spot-fake-facebook-profile/.

[17] See e.g., “Scammers with Pictures of Randy White,” Romance Scam, July 11, 2022, at www.romancescam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=111655.

[18] See e.g., Military Romance Scams at www.facebook.com/MilitaryRomances/posts/4316984444980927.

[19] See e.g., “How to Report Stolen Photos on Facebook,” Watermarkup Blog Copyright © 2022, at https://blog.watermarkup.com/how-to-report-stolen-photos-on-facebook/#:~:text=Image%20and%20content%20theft%20are%20now%20not%20rare.,by%20watermarking%20your%20photos%20before%20posting%20on%20Facebook, and after reading that short chapter to the bottom of the page under Related Posts and hit on “How to Make a Watermark” recommended, though other listed may also interest you.

[20] See, “What is a URL,” Mozilla Corporation ©1998–2022, at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Common_questions/What_is_a_URL; cf., “Personal URL,” TechTerms.com © 2022, at https://techterms.com/definition/personal_url.

[21] See e.g., “How Does Facebook’s profile.php?=id Work? [closed],” StackOverflow.com © 2022, at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10177256/how-does-facebooks-profile-php-id-work; also, “How to Display Logged in User Information in PHP,” Geeks for Geeks, November 24, 2021, at www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-display-logged-in-user-information-in-php/.

[22] See e.g., “How to Trace an IP Address,” wikiHow March 25, 2022, www.wikihow.com/Trace-an-IP-Address.

[23] See e.g., “What Does an IP Address Tell You,” John Grimes, BestProxyReviews.com, May 26, 2022, at www.bestproxyreviews.com/what-does-an-ip-address-tell-you/.

[24] See e.g., “How to Get Fake IP Address,” John Grimes, BestProxyReviews.com, June 17, 2022, at www.bestproxyreviews.com/how-to-fake-ip-address/.

[25] See e.g., “Romance Scams,” FBI, Scams & Safety, at www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams.

[26] See e.g., “List of Scamming Websites,” Scam Detector © 2020, at www.scam-detector.com/article/list-of-scamming-websites/.

[27] See, “High Esteem and Hurting Others Online: Trait Sadism Moderates the Relationship between Self-Esteem and Internet Trolling,” Evita March & Genevieve Steele, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Vol. 3, No. 7, July 10, 2020, at www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cyber.2019.0652.

[28] See e.g., “Quotes by Oscar Wilde,” Forbes 2015, at www.forbes.com/quotes/7199/?fbclid=IwAR1RmGjug27kHL8aNPj_UF5TqtGkvpW_3aOIAtI7EJwlbYfRc5gHZEN-UGg.

[29] See, “Internet Trolls: Bullying in the Electronic Age,” OvercomeBullying.org © 2007–2021, at www.overcomebullying.org/internet-trolls.html#:~:text=The%20unfortunate%20thing%20about%20internet%20trolls%20is%20that,the%20more%20successful%20they%20consider%20themselves%20to%20be.

[30] See e.g., “How to Identify and Defeat an Internet Troll,” Steve Streight, The Peorian, November 29, 2001, at www.peorian.com/technology/technology-news/trolls-cyberbullies/1079-how-to-identify-and-defeat-an-internet-troll.

[31] See, “Distraction Fallacies” (and extension “Distraction Principle”), Changing Works © 2002-2022, at http://changingminds.org/disciplines/argument/fallacies/a_distraction.htm?fbclid=IwAR1TpMjlnX_Bw_votjlxqOWpSS6JWnQv-X4EmIiWhBnm1wt53W6IDWt94OM.

[32] See e.g., “Internet Trolling Victimization: An Empirical Examination of Incidence in Undergraduate Business Students,” Researchers Carl J. Case and Darwin L. King, St. Bonaventure University, AABRI Research in Higher Education Journal, Vol. 34 (2017), at http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/172726.pdgf.

[33] See e.g., “Justin Bieber Strikes a Brutal Blow to Internet Trolls Everywhere,” Showbiz, July 21, 2020, at www.ccn.com/justin-bieber-lawsuit-internet-trolls/; see related, “US – Internet Trolling Lawsuit,” ABC 15 – Arizona, December 18, 2018, at www.abc15.com/national/settlement-requires-anti-hate-training-for-internet-troll.

[34] See, “Suing Social Media Bullies and Trolls for Defamation,” Know the Law © 2022, at https://knowthelaw.com.au/suing-social-media-bullies-for-defamation/.

[35] See, “Facebook Jail: How Facebook Empowers Trolls,” Blog-D, September 21, 2021, at https://blogd.com/2021/09/21/facebook-jail-how-facebook-empowers-trolls/.

[36] See e.g., “Facebook Jail: How Facebook Empowers Trolls,” Luis, BlogD, June 28, 2022, at https://blogd.com/author/luis/.

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See also:

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1. "To Troll or Not to Troll: Young Adults’ Anti-Social Behavior on Social Media," National Library of Medicine, PMC10208514, pub May 24, 2023, at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10208514/.

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2. "A Psychologist Explains Why Internet Trolls Thrive on Anonymity," Forbes, February 3, 2024, at www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/02/03/a-psychologist-explains-why-internet-trolls-thrive-on-anonymity/?sh=7f4bfeef11b2.

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