What is trolling?

[ThreeWords]

Apparently around here, trolling is defined as: "having a contrary opinion to someone else"

What? How can you say that? I've never heard read such a hateful, small minded, and downright offensive bout of trolling in my whole life

Edit: sorry, only the second most hateful thing I've ever seen. The first was you telling some righteous upstanding member of the online community, who wasn't hurting anyone and just minding how own business, to go away and grow up.

I mean, hating on other countries is a staple of good, healthy internet life, and one that Obama will take away if he passes his health bill. This wouldn't happen if we hadn't let the Jews in...

 

[Di'kut]

Trolling is when someone disagree with me. This I was taught by my fellow Escapists a long time ago.

 

[Jakub324]

Being a d*ck on the internet just because you can, while hoping someone responds so you can abuse them.

 

[funguy2121]

I think it's simpler than people make it out to be, though this is understandable given that trolls are often themselves the first to use the word to refer to others.

I think "troll" refers more to intent than anything else. I wouldn't call a forum post literature, but it is definitely a form of "writing," and with writing you can usually deduce the writer's intent pretty quickly. The intent of a troll is to piss someone off or to stir up a thread, plain and simple. Their reasons may vary; some are simply being juvenile (I have myself been guilty of entering a thread about an anime for children and asking "Is this Yu-Gi-Oh!?"), while others want to prove to themselves their own intellectual might by "defeating" (in their own mind) those with whom they disagree. You can find fantastic examples of this by searching for any female-themed threads on the Escapist.

 

[dfcrackhead]

I see trolling as trying to piss someone off "for the lulz"...

A good show of trolling: http://i.imgur.com/1F1Ya.jpg

So if the victim in that scenario is actually lying (seems suspicious that he's posting from a separate computer to the one he bricked), is he trolling the others?

This is probably the best definition to go with. And as to your original post, that was definitely trolling. While a lot of trolling is fairly subtle, it can be blatant too, as long as it's just designed to provoke a response.

So is flamebaiting a form of trolling?

I have a horrible feeling that the problem of definition is why there aren't any decent research papers about this subject...!

If the guy who bricked the hard drive was just lying to everyone, then yes, he was trolling, he would actually be the winner in that scenario because he played and baited all those people for that long of a time.... Not that trolling has winners, but you get the point. Also, flamebaiting is trolling

 

[Choppaduel]

Spoiler: trolling is many things

I know the embedding doesnt work, thats light trolling. anyways heres an embed that works

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The art of making comments solely to evoke an emotional backlash, like your mum.

 

[lacktheknack]

It's attempting to garner response via negative stimuli.

In English: It's saying ridiculous/hurtful things for replies.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Living under a bridge and intimidating anyone who tries to cross it for your special "toll".

 

[MonocleClaire]

Purposely posting something so disgustingly offensive or stupid that people have no choice but to get angry at you.

 

[ryai458]

People who get there "lulz" from other peoples suffering or annoyance.

 

[PayNSprayBandit]

The Explanation


The News Coverage

 

[BlueMage]

Do your own damn research if it's for something important. Here, I'll get you started:

http://ohinternet.com/Troll

http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/Troll

Yes! IT LIVES!

 

[Gottesstrafe]

all the above are good answers

this is a troll

That's^ not a Troll
<spoiler= THIS is a Troll>http://www.nextmagazine.com/files/field_image/TrollHunterPic4_0.jpg

That's not a That's not a Troll THIS is a Troll

Spoiler: THIS is a That's not a Troll THIS is a Troll

 

[NathLines]

Trolling would be if I called OP a troll.

 

[similar.squirrel]

'Trolling' is what butthurt people call any post that they disagree with, of course.

 

[Trolldor]

Trolling is really simple to understand:

It is saying something specifically to induce an emotionally negative response. Whether you agree or disagree with the comment is irrelevant - in other words, if you do agree with it, its incidental. You are expressing your opinion solely to get a reaction out of someone and not to make point.

Unfortunately most people seem to think that anything they don't like/don't consider "civil enough"/don't understand/is a contrary opinion classifies as trolling.
Also, trolls are very, very rarely exposed. Instead we get people presuming someone is a troll simply because they didn't like what was said, not because they have any evidence the post was made solely to get a rise out of someone.