The Psychological Profile of Internet Trolls
And how to deal with their twisted mindset, according to experts.
Specially predominant in social media and online videogames, Internet trolls can be found nearly everywhere, from online newspapers to governmental pages.
As of 2021, it’s right to assume that everyone on the Internet has encountered an Internet troll, either in a passive way, by reading comments on someone else’s work; or in an active way, by receiving their feedback and maybe even engaging in a discussion with them. In any case, their presence creates a negative mood in any online space.
The only effective way to stop these toxic online users is ignoring them, which can be quite frustrating because it is the same as not doing anything at all. However, studies that outline the troll’s psychological profile support the importance of disregarding them.
Minor Irritation or a Real Problem?
Being a digital-native, I have been aware of Internet Trolls for ages. However, I only gave them a deep thought recently, after my first direct encounter with them. The reason was my first viral story ever, which reached a surprising number of readers outside my usual audience, including some people with, you could say, some very strong opinions. While…
