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This is partly why I'm so fascinated and disgusted by trolls and astroturfers. They erode trust in a given forum, which degrades the quality of discourse becaus

This is partly why I'm so fascinated and disgusted by trolls and astroturfers. They erode trust in a given forum, which degrades the quality of discourse because no one wants to invest time in untrustworthy discussions. Sometimes I wish I could get an honest answer from trolls about what they hope to achieve, but of course that will never happen.

tetraca 2y ago
> Sometimes I wish I could get an honest answer from trolls about what they hope to achieve, but of course that will never happen. It's usually not that complicated: They enjoy provoking people, particularly people that can be reflexively upset by reading words. It's a game to them, against a party that they do not respect. The words they say might upset you, but the words ultimately mean nothing to them outside of provoking you, and the more chaotic they can make the situation the more amusing it is.
- maksimur 2y ago
  2 possible additional explanations for trolling: 1. Spite/damage a community for perceived or effective injustice/discrimination. I remember this happening on Reddit and Stack Overflow circa 2010-2014. 2. Actually a neurodivergent person mistaken for a troll. I remember this happening on HN. Remember him being either schizophrenic or autistic. Another example might have been the creator of Temple OS.
ranger_danger 2y ago
I get/got trolled ALL the time, and it was extremely frustrating. I would get irrationally angry at them. Then I started doing it myself and realized it was fun. Not sure if it was really a coping mechanism or I was just bored or what. IRL I don't think I troll people or say inflammatory things, I tend to be quiet and reserved. But most online chat platforms I have been on have been extremely toxic, with not really any better alternatives, so I guess if you can't beat em, join em... but I think that mentality mostly evolved subconsciously in me over time.
- andsoitis 2y ago
  > so I guess if you can't beat em, join em... That's not the way. Be the change you want to see.
  - ranger_danger 2y ago
    I agree with this in principle but in my experience many trolls never change, and trying to act nicer just fuels them to keep going, because they love attention.

tetraca 2y ago

> Sometimes I wish I could get an honest answer from trolls about what they hope to achieve, but of course that will never happen. It's usually not that complicated: They enjoy provoking people, particularly people that can be reflexively upset by reading words. It's a game to them, against a party that they do not respect. The words they say might upset you, but the words ultimately mean nothing to them outside of provoking you, and the more chaotic they can make the situation the more amusing it is.

maksimur 2y ago
2 possible additional explanations for trolling: 1. Spite/damage a community for perceived or effective injustice/discrimination. I remember this happening on Reddit and Stack Overflow circa 2010-2014. 2. Actually a neurodivergent person mistaken for a troll. I remember this happening on HN. Remember him being either schizophrenic or autistic. Another example might have been the creator of Temple OS.

ranger_danger 2y ago

I get/got trolled ALL the time, and it was extremely frustrating. I would get irrationally angry at them. Then I started doing it myself and realized it was fun. Not sure if it was really a coping mechanism or I was just bored or what. IRL I don't think I troll people or say inflammatory things, I tend to be quiet and reserved. But most online chat platforms I have been on have been extremely toxic, with not really any better alternatives, so I guess if you can't beat em, join em... but I think that mentality mostly evolved subconsciously in me over time.

andsoitis 2y ago
> so I guess if you can't beat em, join em... That's not the way. Be the change you want to see.
- ranger_danger 2y ago
  I agree with this in principle but in my experience many trolls never change, and trying to act nicer just fuels them to keep going, because they love attention.