Trolls

[SGOS]

After our recent visitation by the latest trolls (or troll), I got to wondering about why people troll and what they gain.  In all my 15 or so years of visiting forums, I cannot recall a troll ever winning a debate, let alone scoring an intellectual point.  It may have happened, but I can't recall such an event.  Mostly they just dick around.  They may hint at something controversial, almost implying that they would like to engage, but then ignore most of the responses that might potentially challenge their position, or they might simply deny they actually have a position.

So what's the point? The last troll appeared to be want to viewed as some kind of guru.  He affected an air of superiority, but when challenged, he came off as not needing to explain himself on the grounds that intellectual equals should understand and embrace his vacuous issues as if self evident.  He would just kind of flamboyantly wave his arms as if imagining himself in a white robe of the Roman Senate.  He created an image, so to speak, but didn't do anything.  He was just dicking around.

I suppose if a troll wanted to actually score an intellectual point, he wouldn't be a troll, since he would actually contribute something, but trolls don't win and they don't contribute.  Which makes them rather pointless entities.  Why do we (I include myself) even give them the time of day?

[Plu]

Trolls just enjoy the attention they get. That's basically it.

If you long for human contact but you're so incredibly boring/annoying that nobody will give you the light of day, you troll an internet forum. Because if you make dumb posts, people will respond and you will get attention.

That, and some of them are just jerks who like to bother people they don't know from the safety of their own home. I would know, I'm like that from time to time.

[Mermaid]

Some are sociopaths who actually gain energy from upsetting people
Some are bored
Some never get attention any other way
Some find it funny
Some feel inferior and feel a need to make people look "stupid"
Some are (insert personality quirk here)

[Solitary]

I respond to them because it is fun up to a point, and they make me have an ego trip that makes me feel smarter in comparison. A mental masturbation so to speak. Same for them by getting us to respond.  :shock:  :rollin:  Solitary

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Meh...there are fools everywhere you go and internet trolls are nothing unique. The only difference is they can be banned on forums, but in the 'real world' it's quite another story.

[Sal1981]

Winning or losing is besides the point for a troll, they only wish to stir up a reactionary response, or just any response nowadays. The goal of a troll is a either merely attention or just some sort of deluded sense of entertainment, or both.

[Sal1981]

Meh...there are fools everywhere you go and internet trolls are nothing unique. The only difference is they can be banned on forums, but in the 'real world' it's quite another story.

That's because on the Internet where there's anonymity and no perceived consequences, acting with impunity, it brings the worst in people; I have no other real explanation other than "because why the heck not"? Or maybe it is acting out on suppressed feelings from real life, where your actions do count - where they can't act out their frustration from interacting with the real world with people face to face. So, wearing a mask they do it on the Internet instead, like boxing a sandbag, but that's just speculation.

[PopeyesPappy]

Some are sociopaths who actually gain energy from upsetting people
Some are bored
Some never get attention any other way
Some find it funny
Some feel inferior and feel a need to make people look "stupid"
Some are (insert personality quirk here)

Some are (psychopathic murderers) prowling for potential victims?

[PickelledEggs]

IDK, man. I barely understand myself. I gave up on understanding other people, especially trolls. Too much stress.

It is kind of upsetting when a troll comes in the forum to rain on our parade, though.

[SGOS]

If it's merely for attention, they could get it through contributing.  We pay attention to each other, even when we disagree.   I could agree that its for the attention, but it's not like making an intellectual point is a herculean task.  There seems to be a need involved that is partly motivated because they want to make an ass out of themselves.

[stromboli]

I expect these are the smart ass mama's boys I wanted to beat up in grade school.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I can think of far worse things that go on in the realm of the internet than trolling. Trolling, while annoying hardly ranks up with some of the much more notorious activities.
I'm not condoning it, but given a choice between trolling and say..cyber bullying, identity theft, plain theft and on and on trolling seems a bit tame.

[Johan]

Why do we (I include myself) even give them the time of day?

I engage trolls because I find that the more you engage them, the more trollish they become. The more trollish they become, the quicker admins get fed up with them and make them disappear. Trolls by their very nature are quite happy to hang themselves. All you have to do is provide the rope.

[SGOS]

Why do we (I include myself) even give them the time of day?

I engage trolls because I find that the more you engage them, the more trollish they become. The more trollish they become, the quicker admins get fed up with them and make them disappear. Trolls by their very nature are quite happy to hang themselves. All you have to do is provide the rope.

That's a pretty good reason.

[leo]

I never get annoyed by most trolls . Some trolls post very ridiculous shit that is actually very funny . I'm a fan of Ali G show maybe that's why I find some humor in it .