What is Trolling?

Definition and Objective (Provocation for Pleasure)

Trolling is the art of deliberate provocation on the Internet.

It is defined as the act of posting inflammatory, irrelevant, offensive or off-topic messages in an online community (a forum, the comments section of a video, a Facebook group, Twitter/X) with the sole purpose of provoking a negative emotional reaction in users, disrupting the conversation and generating chaos.

The troll does not seek to debate, nor does he have a real ideology to defend (although he may pretend to).

Their only motivation is the sadistic pleasure of watching others get angry, waste time responding to them, and fight among themselves.

The troll feeds on attention; the angrier the response, the greater their "success". They often operate from anonymity, which increases their disinhibition and ruthlessness.

Trolling vs. Cyberbullying (The Difference in Approach).

While both are toxic behaviors, there is a key difference between trolling and cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is personal and sustained; the aggressor has a specific target (the victim) and seeks their long-term psychological and social destruction.

There is a relationship (often real-world) between the bully and the victim. Trolling, on the other hand, is usually impersonal and opportunistic.

The troll attacks a group or any individual who "bites" at his or her bait. He doesn't care who the person is, only the reaction.

If the troll sees that a user is particularly vulnerable, he may target that user, but his primary goal is general chaos, not the destruction of a specific individual.

However, the line can be fine: a troll who becomes obsessed with one person and repeatedly attacks them in all their posts becomes a cyberbully.

How to Manage Trolling (The Golden Rule)

Managing trolling is counter-intuitive but universally accepted, and is summed up in one phrase: "Don't feed the troll."

The troll is looking for an emotional reaction. If you respond to him (even to refute him rationally), he has won. If you insult him, he has won. If you play its game, it has won.

The only way to defeat a troll is to take away its food: attention. The correct actions are:

Ignore: This is the most effective. If no one responds to your provocation, the troll gets bored and goes elsewhere.

Block: Prevents the troll from interacting with you and you from seeing his messages.