Trolls
Trolls are originally a mythical, cave-dwelling being depicted in folklore as either a giant or a dwarf, typically having a very ugly appearance.
A troll on the internet[1]
Trolling is the impulsive habit of hurting others online, seemingly without immediate consequences. While many trolls on the internet are often narcissists, psychopaths, and sadists, some trolling may only be the result of a bad day. The problem is once trolling begins on a group trolling begets more trolling. Unfortunately, that is often the goal of some of the trolls.
People who are attracted to trolling commonly score high in psychopathy and cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy means that they understand the emotions of others but have less affective empathy, which is the ability to naturally respond appropriately to the emotions of others.
Trolls are not always after a person or even the subject matter of a conversation but may simply desire to “create mayhem or confusion”. Of course, if the subject matter exposes them they will be motivated to troll more intensely.
So, some are just victims of other trolls and have become trolls or engage in trolling because of a memetic compulsion. But repeat offenders are almost always addicted to trolling. They need to get a rise out of others to give themselves a sense of superiority or just meaning. They become like a pack of wolves or sharks which smell blood and go on a feeding frenzy. They have no real life or compassion for others and releasing their true malevolent hearts on the internet allows them some imagined safety.
The problem is the more they indulge the more addicted they become. That rehearsal of mocking attacks, disruptive behavior, and infectious chaos at the expense of others will take a toll on the addicted troll.
What mechanism in his own mind and heart has he unleashed by lashing out at his digital victims?
There are lots of articles about trolling and Karma. There are lots of old sayings about what goes around comes around or just the golden rule to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
But my favorite is Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
- ↑ : In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion, often for their own amusement.
- This sense of the word "troll" and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, but have been used more widely. Media attention in recent years has equated trolling with online harassment. For example, mass media has used troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families." In addition, depictions of trolling have been included in popular fictional works such as the HBO television program The Newsroom, in which a main character encounters harassing individuals online and tries to infiltrate their circles by posting negative sexual comments himself.
- One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.Internet troll