Internet Troll: Consequences of Internet Trolling

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject Internet Troll Internet use has had a significant impact on the way people communicate and socialize with each other by transforming how we acquire, share and debate information. The transformation in the art of conversation and socializing has its bright and dark sides. Online trolling has increasingly gained more notoriety with an increase in trolling activities such as malicious attacks and online harassment, inflammatory conversations and cyberbullying, sharing hurtful and defaced imagery among other unethical online with little or no care for the victims. As an online vice, internet trolling should be treated more seriously to protect online users from being affected psychologically, physically and socially in their lives. Consequences of Internet Trolling Increased media coverage of trolling activities has exposed the shameful vice while at the same time accounting for its spread among the internet users. Online trolling is defined as the practice of behaving deceptively, in a destructive or upsetting manner on the internet by invading a social setting without a justifiable cause (Buckels, Trapnell and Paulhus, 2014, p. 97). According to Hardaker, there are four significant characteristics namely aggression, disruption, deception and success that define trolling (2010, p. 216). Internet trolls can also take advantage of popular discussion to cause misinformation or divert attention from the main subject of debate. Jensen (2018) contend that trolls can use such misinformation even in critical situations such as in the US election to sway public opinions. Online users deliberately and intentionally pass insincere and false information to other online users by attempting to appear as a legitimate member contributing to a conversation. Often using fake online identities, trolls willfully and knowingly post inconsistent information that is likely to have an impact on affected internet users. Deception propagated by internet trolling may have adverse consequences to other internet users. Online trolling is also associated with aggressive and malicious behavior that ultimately annoys other internet users and may encourage and provoke others to retaliate escalating conversations in social settings to an unmanageable scale. Aggressive and malicious harassment by internet trolls has been reported to cause loss of confidence and reduced self-esteem among the victims (Griffiths, 2014; Escartin, 2015). Additionally, Hardaker observes that victims of online trolling often face public embarrassment within the online social circles as and may also prompt other online users to resort to mock the victims openly after falling for the troll (2010, p. 232). The wellbeing of online users is at risk due to the inconsiderate attacks of internet trolling. Internet trolling continues to cause adverse psychological effects to troll victims that are comparable to offline and physical harassment. Craker & March (2016) note that trolling can lead to an extreme psychological impact on the victims such as the increased urge to harm and hurt themselves and in extreme cases, generate suicidal ideas. Cambria, Chandra, Sharma, and Hussain (2010) contend adding that there have cases recorded of teenagers committin...