I recently read an article about the psychology of internet trolls. To summarize: Like bullies, trolls feel alienated and want attention. The impersonal nature of the internet gives rise to this anti-social behavior.
So why do it? Why purposely find people who have a common interest and upset them? Like bullies, trolls feel alienated and want attention, says Rebekka Sommer, from the health psychology unit at the University of Technology, Sydney.
"If you're a troll, you're feeling fairly disconnected. Because you're not feeling OK, you go into a discussion group but you're not experiencing any sense of belonging, so you trivialise that sense of belonging and you feel better about yourself. It is a kind of power trip. It comes down to self-esteem."
"I can say something nasty because I don't have to look you in the face. If I don't have to look at you it's easier for me to be hurtful and it still serves my purpose which is to make what you're doing look silly and make me feel better about myself."
