Could trolling be a mental health issue or is it harmless?

03-12-2018 11:49AM #1

Someone one young who thinks they are having a laugh or that weird story about the Russian troll farm is one thing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_web_brigades

However actual apparently rational adults doing it what are they getting out of it.

interesting question if it came to light that an actual adult was trolling AH and you were interviewing them for a job would it be concerning or would you think they were just having a laugh.

I am not sure but to me, it would come down on the side of behavior is concerning.

03-12-2018 11:52AM

It's a manifestation of self-loathing.

TomSweeney · 03-12-2018 11:54AM

Depends on the level like anything.
Big difference between harassment and obsessivley replying and goading someone for a reaction, than the odd funny gif/meme in a sarcastic response ...

Could drinking alcohol be a health issue or is it harmless ??

degrees!!!

Pintman Paddy Losty · 03-12-2018 11:55AM

Can't understand it myself. Definitely something deeply wrong with individuals who get some kick out of winding people up.

03-12-2018 11:56AM

by far the bigger problem are the trolls that exist in an organised fashion to push certain themes/messages/viewpoints and obstruct/obfuscates others

boards riddled with these tbh and the moderation infrastructure demands they be protected as if genuine

suicide_circus · 03-12-2018 11:59AM

are we talking about people who viciously abuse people on twitter or people who do tongue in cheek strawman wind ups?

Franz Von Peppercorn · 03-12-2018 11:59AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

by far the bigger problem are the trolls that exist in an organised fashion to push certain themes/messages/viewpoints and obstruct/obfuscates others

boards riddled with these tbh and the moderation infrastructure demands they be protected as if genuine

A troll isn’t someone who disagrees with you. And I doubt there are groups targeting boards.

Harassing online is a different issue.

Mr. Incognito · 03-12-2018 12:10PM

Just sad attention seeking twits.

Arghus · 03-12-2018 12:10PM

They're just sad individuals to be honest.

JohnnyFlash · 03-12-2018 12:11PM

Might be doing it for the ‘lols’. Winding people up who take the internet far too seriously. Only a theory mind.

03-12-2018 12:11PM

suicide_circus wrote: »

are we talking about people who viciously abuse people on twitter or people who do tongue in cheek strawman wind ups?

That a good question, however picking the hot-button items on AH welfare, social housing, gender and the like and deliberately deciding to have a wind-up can be on the border of having a laugh/ peculiar, even if its just having a laugh it is slightly odd for an adult to do.

It's not satire or anything like that.

amcalester · 03-12-2018 12:12PM

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Can't understand it myself. Definitely something deeply wrong with individuals who get some kick out of winding people up.

Trigger Happy · 03-12-2018 12:12PM

It’s generally not a mental health issue but not harmless either. Doubtless some trolls are nuts, some just mean spirited and some just in the wind up.
But some trolls only exist in the eyes of others who don’t like the person’s style or point of view.

Drumpot · 03-12-2018 12:14PM

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

A troll isn’t someone who disagrees with you. And I doubt there are groups targeting boards.

Harassing online is a different issue.

It can be hard to differentiate a person who is trolling from a person who is either not very bright, cant reflect objectively on their own views or just entrenched in an alternative view (or all these things).

suicide_circus · 03-12-2018 12:14PM

mariaalice wrote: »

That a good question, however picking the hot-button items on AH welfare, social housing, gender and the like and deliberately deciding to have a wind-up can be on the border of having a laugh/ peculiar, even if its just having a laugh it is slightly odd for an adult to do.

It's not satire or anything like that.

I suppose I'd need examples to see exactly what you're talking about. Also, who decides that it's not satire? the writer or the reader? bit of a grey area I would have thought.

degsie · 03-12-2018 12:16PM

The internet should introduce troll charges.

Gatling · 03-12-2018 12:17PM

I'd say it's likely someone who's actually lonely and seeking attention more than anything.

But we definitely have a few visits from the Moscow troll factory over the last 5 years especially around the political forums ,

03-12-2018 12:19PM

Trigger Happy wrote: »

It’s generally not a mental health issue but not harmless either. Doubtless some trolls are nuts, some just mean spirited and some just in the wind up.
But some trolls only exist in the eyes of others who don’t like the person’s style or point of view.

On the other hand, some are funny, but the funny ones general know that most know they are trolls and I would say they are witty in real life.

The best response to the others is to answer them deadpan as if your taking them seriously :P

incentsitive · 03-12-2018 12:26PM

Plenty of trolling is just harmless bit of craic, saying something to get a reaction out of people is just part of the craic really is it not?
If you take what people say online too seriously, more the fool you in my view!
And if people can't give and take a bit of slagging, without getting worked up about stuff, more the fool they again!

valoren · 03-12-2018 12:27PM

I think the closest experience of trolling I have witnessed was my brother in law on Facebook. Now this guy hates soccer, GAA etc. He's 44 years old, big into his super bikes, rock music. The blurb on his page even says 'straight thinkin, no bull****, hate football, GAA '. He is your classic "I'm right and you're wrong and even when you prove me wrong I'm still right" personality type. Whenever matches happen which are significant to his FB friends it spurs him into action. A recent example was the CL final with Liverpool last May. He posted to a Liverpool page with "I can't understand people who love soccer, it's **** and anyone following it is a wanker tbh".

Naturally he got a reaction. Obviously many were not very erudite. After getting the reaction, he then segues into engaging in the 'I'm right' argument with a better than you attitude. Clearly he is insecure and I guess inflaming soccer fans lends credibility to his hatred for it. He's just a dick head with a platform basically.

03-12-2018 12:29PM

It can be indicative of low self-esteem and even self loathing but not always. It really depends on the level and the motivation. To take a really basic example, lets say my life would be complete if I had a BMW. It eats away at me and I feel like less of a person than those who have one. So over I go to the motors forum and take my anger and frustration out on all the Beemer owners. Seething with hatred.

It is really projecting our own crap on to others. There are a few here who annoy me and I think God I'd love to troll the crap out of them. Now if I were to dig underneath that annoyance and ask myself what is it that I really don't like, what is it about this person that evokes such irritation in me, this stranger. I might find the answer lies more with my stuff.

TomSweeney · 03-12-2018 12:30PM

valoren wrote: »

I think the closest experience of trolling I have witnessed was my brother in law on Facebook. Now this guy hates soccer, GAA etc. He's 44 years old, big into his super bikes, rock music. The blurb on his page even says 'straight thinkin, no bull****, hate football, GAA '. He is your classic "I'm right and you're wrong and even when you prove me wrong I'm still right" personality type. Whenever matches happen which are significant to his FB friends it spurs him into action. A recent example was the CL final with Liverpool last May. He posted to a Liverpool page with "I can't understand people who love soccer, it's **** and anyone following it is a wanker tbh".

Naturally he got a reaction. Obviously many were not very erudite. After getting the reaction, he then segues into engaging in the 'I'm right' argument with a better than you attitude. Clearly he is insecure and I guess inflaming soccer fans lends credibility to his hatred for it. He's just a dick head with a platform basically.

^^ happens a lot, I don't get people who claim they don't give a crap about something then bitch about it whenever it comes up ..

incentsitive · 03-12-2018 12:30PM

TomSweeney wrote: »

^^ happens a lot, I don't get people who claim they don't give a crap about something then bitch about it whenever it comes up ..

Yeah that's called small man syndrome.....

03-12-2018 12:36PM

incentsitive wrote: »

Plenty of trolling is just harmless bit of craic, saying something to get a reaction out of people is just part of the craic really is it not?
If you take what people say online too seriously, more the fool you in my view!
And if people can't give and take a bit of slagging, without getting worked up about stuff, more the fool they again!

But its not funny if someone is channeling some mental health issue through ruminating about those on welfare, or in social housing, or their issues with women, it is unhealthy, but thats life, or maybe it just a coping mechanism for a stressful life.

The troll thinks they are having a great laugh by upping the ante but they are not its a weird behavior.

03-12-2018 12:39PM

I'm very interested in the concepts of projection, transference and counter-transference. It's hard to tell if and where it happens on a forum but I have gotten a sense of it in some very emotive threads. Indeed I've engaged in it myself during the abortion debate. Or another possible place it appears is threads relating to children and relationships. These are very close to the bone topics for many.

Tell me how · 03-12-2018 12:40PM

I think there is something about the combination of ease of access to discussions on various topics, anonymity and a poor self esteem which leads someone to partake in trolling like activities.

I'm always curious about the numbers who post negatively on radio and tv threads. I would say that 70%+ of posters on those threads are inclined to be negative about the show or presenter. I'm not foolish enough to suggest every show/presenter is wonderful but the numbers of those being negative often seems to be disproportionate to the popularity of the show in real life. There are many shows I am not a fan of, but I don't see the point of seeking out discussions on a topic which I dislike and so I stay away from those threads. But many don't.

I think the degree of imbalance in self-esteem (in either direction) is what can push someone in to trolling territory but I wouldn't think that it is a mental health issue in and of itself. Without the anonymity, I suspect many would not open their mouths as they do online whereas if it had a mental health root cause, I suspect they still would.

....... · 03-12-2018 12:40PM

incentsitive wrote: »

Plenty of trolling is just harmless bit of craic, saying something to get a reaction out of people is just part of the craic really is it not?
If you take what people say online too seriously, more the fool you in my view!
And if people can't give and take a bit of slagging, without getting worked up about stuff, more the fool they again!

I just dont understand the mindset of the bolded part above.

Then again, Ive never been someone who found upsetting other people funny.

Pintman Paddy Losty · 03-12-2018 12:42PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Cognitive dissonance or a smokescreen, what do you genuinely believe yourself?

What are you suggesting pal?

Cienciano · 03-12-2018 12:43PM

The problem isn't the trolls, it's the idiots who can't spot an obvious troll and get wound up by it. It's hilarious and also quite sad to watch

Franz Von Peppercorn · 03-12-2018 12:44PM

Can people give an example of the type of thing they think is trolling. And how they differentiate it from opinion.

A troll to me is a wind up merchant. We had them before the internet. It’s not someone abusive (that’s different and should be policed) nor someone with a strong opinion, nor someone who loves to hate joe Duffy, nor over criticism of travellers.

I can spot a few - on a Brexit thread someone who says the solution is to join the U.K. etc.

But in general I’m wondering (without necessarily links) what examples people are talking about. And how you know people are trolling (trying to get a reaction) rather than just pushing their own opinion.

incentsitive · 03-12-2018 12:49PM

Ivan Yates starts almost every show with stuff to wind up Munster Fans, non Man City fans, etc.
Its trolling but its harmless, and yet people still text in venting their spleen. I think if people get wound up by things like that, then maybe they need to look at how easily wound up they are!

Could trolling be a mental health issue or is it harmless?

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