This is a topic that gets addressed in this forum very often I thought it might be a good change of pace for people to debate and discuss the topic. Maybe this video can shed some light on the troll's motivation. <iframe src="https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/cpjfffotd9?controlsVisibleOnLoad=true&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Blink%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.academicearth.org%2F&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Brewatch%5D=true&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Bstyle%5D%5BbackgroundColor%5D=%23616161&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Bstyle%5D%5Bcolor%5D=%23ffffff&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Bstyle%5D%5BfontFamily%5D=Gill%20Sans%2C%20Helvetica%2C%20Arial%2C%20sans-serif&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Bstyle%5D%5BfontSize%5D=22px&plugin%5BpostRoll-v1%5D%5Btext%5D=Visit%20AcademicEarth.org&plugin%5Bsocialbar-v1%5D%5BbadgeImage%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fembed.wistia.com%2Fdeliveries%2F99e278be17fdaf4abe655be3e5dfa1b01fcb07e8.jpg%3Fimage_resize%3D100&plugin%5Bsocialbar-v1%5D%5BbadgeUrl%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.academicearth.org%2F&plugin%5Bsocialbar-v1%5D%5Bbuttons%5D=twitter-facebook-googlePlus-linkedIn-email&plugin%5Bsocialbar-v1%5D%5Blogo%5D=true&plugin%5Bsocialbar-v1%5D%5BpageUrl%5D=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.academicearth.org%2Felectives%2Fpsychology-internet-troll%2F&plugin%5Bsocialbar-v1%5D%5BshowTweetCount%5D=true&version=v1&videoHeight=360&videoWidth=640&volumeControl=true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="wistia_embed" name="wistia_embed" width="640" height="388"></iframe>Created by <a href="http://academicearth.org/electives/psychology-internet-troll/">AcademicEarth.org</a> EDIT: if the video doesn't load then here is the link: http://academicearth.org/electives/psychology-internet-troll/
I look at trolling like how to train a dog with what is okay behavior and what isn't. When I first got my dog he was a really energetic puppy. He would sometimes want to jump up and scratch my legs for attention. So I'd turn my back to him and ignore him until he realized he won't get my attention by doing obnoxious behavior. When he would keep his paws planted on the ground and waited patiently for me to respond to his plea for attention then I would reward him. But only when he displayed good behavior. Likewise for a kid throwing a temper tantrum because they didn't get whatever candy or gum they wanted in line at a grocery store. You let the kid make an an ass of itself in public and ignore it until it realizes kicking, screaming and displaying crocodile tears won't yield its desired outcome. I guess what I'm trying to say is I agree with the end part of the video. A troll is only successful when s/he has an audience that bites the bait and gives him/her attention in whatever form it may be. To beat a troll you simply have to ignore him/her.
Well, it takes some independent thinking to troll and avoid being trolled so I'm not surprised it's not the liberals.
