Today “troll” refers to someone who posts or comments online to ‘bait’ people, trying to provoke anger or fear. In some cases they say things they don’t even believe, just to cause drama. In other cases, they may not agree with the views of another person or group online, so they try to discredit, humiliate or punish them. This may include online hate or personal attacks. The troll may also encourage mob mentality.
Trolls often post anonymously, sometimes under multiple fake identities to make one person seem like a crowd of like-minded people. They choose anonymity or fake names so they can say things without being held responsible. This can make them feel more powerful and less cautious than they would be if they were talking to someone in person. It makes it difficult to identify who actually left the post or comment, but still pretty easy to identify the trolling.
Trolls also often try to downplay the impact of their behaviour, claiming anyone who’s upset by their posts or comments is overreacting. They may say it was just a joke, or the person who they targeted needs to toughen up. This can make the person who was trolled feel even worse.
