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Life-Cycle of Internet Trolls

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Terho Jussinoja LIFE-CYCLE OF INTERNET TROLLS UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 2018 ABSTRACT Jussinoja, Terho Life-cycle of Internet Trolls Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2018, 107 p. Information Systems, Master’s Thesis This paper is a master’s thesis about internet trolls and trolling with the main goal of finding what is the life-cycle of internet trolls. In other words, how a person becomes a troll, how their trolling evolves, and how does trolling stop. Trolling definitions are also examined to see whether they are adequate. This thesis also covers the current state of research done on trolling, with the empha- sis on literature that is relevant to the life-cycle of a troll. The literature will also be evaluated against the results from this study. Past research on trolling is quite scarce when comparing to the multiple topics it holds, suggesting that the scientific understanding of internet trolls is still less than ideal. Most of the pre- vious studies have not been able to utilize trolls’ views, whereas this study only uses commentary from trolls. This study was conducted using a qualitative re- search method, thematic analysis, and used three different methods for data collection. Trolling has become more commonplace in recent years and it has been claimed to be a formidable problem for civil discourse on the internet and there- fore deserves better insight on the matter. Media accounts, literature, and public opinions rarely match when it comes to trolling. This shows that there is plenty of confusion and misunderstandings on the topic. By discovering the reasons why an individual decides to troll, and how they decide to stop, there can be better technological solutions developed that might discourage people to start trolling or encourage them to stop. Keywords: Internet trolling, Trolling, Internet troll, Antisocial behavior, Life- cycle FIGURES FIGURE 1 Trolls's starting ages ................................................................................. 59 FIGURE 2 Length of time as a troll ........................................................................... 84 FIGURE 3 Life-cycle of trolls ...................................................................................... 86 TABLES TABLE 1 Examples of different definitions for trolling ......................................... 12 TABLE 2 Main sources for each troll in the data .................................................... 49 TABLE 3 Phases of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) .............................. 52 TABLE 4 Troll categories for this study ................................................................... 53 TABLE 5 Number of trolls by category .................................................................... 55 TABLE 6 Employment and student statuses for trolls when active..................... 56 TABLE 7 Factors related to trolls' personality ......................................................... 56 TABLE 8 Trolls' ages to start by certain age ............................................................ 59 TABLE 9 Reasons to start trolling ............................................................................. 60 TABLE 10 Occurrences of behavioral aspects ......................................................... 64 TABLE 11 Platforms used by trolls ........................................................................... 77 TABLE 12 Reasons to quit .......................................................................................... 78 TABLE 13 Main factors for quitting .......................................................................... 79 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. 2 FIGURES ...................................................................................................... 3 TABLES ........................................................................................................ 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................ 4 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 6 2 TROLLS, WHO ARE THEY AND WHY DO THEY TROLL? ..... 9 2.1 The Term Troll and Trolling....................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Origin of the Term .............................................................................. 9 2.1.2 Definition of Trolling ....................................................................... 10 2.1.3 Trolling Compared to Flaming....................................................... 14 2.1.4 Trolling Compared to Cyberbullying ........................................... 15 2.1.5 The Use of the Term Troll in Wider Public Use ........................... 17 2.2 Who are the Trolls? .................................................................................... 18 2.2.1 Who can Become a Troll? ................................................................ 20 2.2.2 The Number of Trolls ...................................................................... 20 2.3 Why do They Troll? ................................................................................... 21 2.3.1 Reasons for Individuals to Troll ..................................................... 22 2.3.2 Effect of Computer-Mediated Communication ........................... 23 2.4 Personality of Trolls................................................................................... 24 2.5 Definition of a Troll for This Study ......................................................... 26 3 TROLL ACTIVITIES ........................................................................ 28 3.1 Types of Trolls and Trolling ..................................................................... 28 3.1.1 Troll Categorization ......................................................................... 28 3.1.2 Troll Activities .................................................................................. 30 3.1.3 Organized Trolling ........................................................................... 31 3.2 Behavior ...................................................................................................... 32 3.3 Trolling in Different Platforms ................................................................ 35 3.4 Trolling Strategies ...................................................................................... 37 4 DEALING WITH TROLLS ............................................................. 39 4.1 How Trolling is Perceived ........................................................................ 39 4.2 Outcomes of Trolling................................................................................. 41 4.3 How to Deal with Trolls ........................................................................... 43 4.4 How to Prevent Trolling ........................................................................... 45 5 RESEARCH METHOD .................................................................... 47 5.1 Qualitative Research Method ................................................................... 47 5.2 Data Collection ........................................................................................... 48 5.3 Analysis ....................................................................................................... 52 6 RESULTS ........................................................................................... 55 6.1 Background Information .......................................................................... 55 6.2 Beginning .................................................................................................... 57 6.2.1 Life Before Trolling .......................................................................... 57 6.2.2 Age to Start Trolling......................................................................... 58 6.2.3 How Trolling Started ....................................................................... 60 6.3 Time as an Active Troll ............................................................................. 64 6.3.1 Behavior ............................................................................................. 64 6.3.2 Progression of Trolling Behavior ................................................... 72 6.3.3 Targeting ............................................................................................ 73 6.3.4 Organized Trolling ........................................................................... 76 6.3.5 Platforms ............................................................................................ 77 6.4 Ending ......................................................................................................... 78 6.4.1 Reasons to Quit ................................................................................. 78 6.4.2 Length of Time as a Troll ................................................................ 83 7 DISCUSSION .................................................................................... 85 7.1 Life-cycle of Internet Trolls ...................................................................... 85 7.2 Research Implications ............................................................................... 87 7.3 Practical Implications ................................................................................ 94 7.4 Limitations and Future Topics ................................................................. 95 8 CONCLUSION
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