The Psychology of Online Trolls

Since the early internet, there have been internet trolls; ranging from those who throw casual insults and correct grammar to those who will attack a person's livelihood. The most severe, however, is the predatory troll, someone who indulges in harassment, stalking and may even encourage a person to harm themselves or others.

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Predatory trolling can have a devastating impact on people's lives. In some of the most shocking cases, victims have committed suicide.

When picturing an internet troll most imagine a young, single man in their a dark basement, however, the truth is very different, and many trolls coordinate their efforts.

Brenton Tarrant carried out the Christchurch mosque shooting after posting a white nationalist rant, and a link to his Facebook live feed on 8chan, a far-right message board that has become notorious for trolls and hate speech.

In 2013, Ginger Gorman became subject of online abuse and trolling from hateful tweets to messages threatening her and her families lives. Following this abuse, Ginger started researching the world of trolling, and by speaking to psychologists, victims of online trolling and trolls, gained unparalleled insight into the psychology of those who engage in trolling and the impact on the victims.

In this interview, I speak to Ginger Gorman to discuss the psychology behind internet trolling; it's real-life impact and free speech.

More on Ginger Gorman's work:

• Troll Hunting by Ginger Gorman
• ABC: How trolling and cyberhate causes real-life harm
• RNZ: Troll-hunter Ginger Gorman on cyberhate
• RNZ: Unmasking internet trolls
• News.com.au: Becoming friends with abusive, nasty predator trolls
• ABC: Internet trolls are not who I thought — they're even scarier

Mentioned in the show:

• Newshub: 'Predator-trolling' and white supremacy: How social media led to Christchurch terror attack 
• iPredator: Predatory Trolls: The Evolution of Classic Internet Trolls
• The Guardian: What is an internet troll?
• The Guardian: ‘It was like being skinned alive’: Ginger Gorman goes hunting for trolls
• Quartz: Psychologists have identified the kind of emotional intelligence that makes internet trolls so mean
• ABC: Psychology of internet trolls: They understand what hurts people but simply don't care
• Psychology Today: Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists
• The Guardian: Behind the online comments: the psychology of internet trolls
• Wikipedia: Christchurch mosque shootings
• Bellingcat: Shitposting, Inspirational Terrorism, and the Christchurch Mosque Massacre
• The Wall Street Journal: It’s Hard to Spot the Terrorists Among the Trolls
• Wikipedia: Charlotte Dawson 
• The Independent: Leanne Morrison kills herself over fake Tinder account in her name
• BBC: Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett bullying suicide shocks Australia
• ABC: How Australian Peter Truong groomed son to be exploited by global paedophile network
• Wikipedia: Online disinhibition effect
• New York Times: Epilepsy Foundation Was Targeted in Mass Strobe Cyberattack

ABOUT MELISSA WILLIAMS-BROWN

Melissa Williams-Brown has been cyberstalked by a relative for years but now she's fighting back. Melissa is an award winning photographer, a full-time cybersecurity student, a licensed pilot and a community volunteer. Melissa Williams-Brown is 49 years old and lives in Adelaide South Australia with her husband Glenn and twin boys, Zach and Nate.