You might think that trolling on the internet is done by a small, vocal minority of sociopaths. But what if all trolls aren’t born trolls? What if they are ordinary people like you and me?
Psychologists believe that something called 'online disinhibition effect' might partly explain trolling behaviour.
Pro-Donald Trump bots worked to sway public opinion in the US election by secretly taking over pro-Hillary Clinton hashtags and spreading fake news stories.
Reuters/Lucas Jackson
Bots have not just been used in the US, but also in Australia, the UK, Germany, Syria and China. To what extent – and how – are they affecting political discourse?
The issues of accessibility, communication and connection are especially relevant when it comes to understanding why so many people vent their spleen on social media.
A new study suggests that the pleasure of getting an angry reaction is the biggest predictor of online trolling behaviour – meaning that the best way to fight back is just to ignore them.
Many praise the internet as a democratizing force. But with online spaces replacing physical public squares as places for debate, what do we risk losing?
In a media ecology defined through “interactive” behaviour – “web 2.0,” the blogging platforms now favoured by news and cultural criticism sites – a new figure has emerged from the digital abyss: the serial commenter.
Digital harassment is not only an issue affecting children and teenagers.
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Women and men are just as likely to report experiencing any form of digital harassment and abuse. However, the nature and impacts of these online harms differ significantly by gender and age.
We have brutal sexual threats, made anonymously, against those who have “transgressed” a particular boundary. Sound familiar?
Carole Raddato
Brutal sexual threats against perceived trespassers, made anonymously, with the expectation they will be seen as "humorous". Sound familiar? Modern-day trolls belong to a long, and troubling, lineage.
New Zealand’s parliament: no trolls allowed.
Nick-D/Wikimedia Commons
Checking online reviews is a big part of shopping. But review sites can be manipulated. Does favoring reviews posted by your social media contacts help with trustworthy, meaningful content?
It isn’t enough just to not feed the trolls - something has to quieten them down too.
Gil
Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo recently admitted in a leaked memo to staff how serious a problem online abuse and trolling on Twitter was, one that the social network has so far failed to tackle…
Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society & School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University