What Do People Get Out of Internet Trolling?

I will add that likely they thrive on drama...and that getting negative attention is still attention.

The last one on here wrote stories that reminded me of daytime soap operas. I just bet several of her stories were a conglomeration of the ones she had been following.

I agree with Riley, but I also think that some, like this gal, live "on the net" in a fantasy world. I guess their own life is just so boring...

What frosts me is that I feel that it's kind of a slap in the face to people who have real problems. People take the time to write and try to help, and doing this for make-believe really bothers me.

Dawn

my guess boredom and a "power trip" ... some people enjoy getting people's feathers ruffled and moms are easy targets.

Hello?
Hi. Is your refrigerator running?
Yes
Then you better go catch it!!!

That's the old school version
(The Geriatric School version was far wilder... Moving outhouses... Which was still tamer than what THEIR grandparents did )

It's not just kids though. Saturday Night Live, Punk'd, Laye Night with Whimever (Leno, Carson, etc)... (or the even older Candid Camera)... There is a subset of the population that enjoys making fun of other people. Pranking.

That's all trolling is: making fun of people and pranking them. Within the genre there are MANY levels... And the more creative, harder to get a reaction from, sneakiest (how long until you're noticed), and biggest reactions are the most lauded/ get the most 'points'.

It's such a well accepted form of 'amusement' that the 'best' make millions (see SNL et. al. Above)

Internet pranking on public forums, at least, is fairly victimless. A far cry from you or your work being mocked on TV, or a kid being bullied and cyber stalked.

I don't like Trolling, but I'm the same stuck in the mud who doesn't like TV that makes fun of people, either. To my mind it's the lowest form of entertainment... Can't do anything original or meaningful, so let's make fun of people who are!!!! Thwibbt. No imagination.

((Now pranking people you KNOW and LOVE I hold in an entirely different light if and only if it's the kind done to make them laugh, not cry.))

I chalk it up to them being bored and ignorant.

'Your shoe's untied.".
"Made you look.".
Makes me think of Peewee Herman.
I wouldn't exactly equate trolling with pranking but it's close.
It can be like poking a stick into an ant hill to stir things up.
The more reaction they get, the bigger the ego boost - like they had power over something.
Every site that allows people to post messages has trolls from time to time.
There are different types of trolls.
They are:
The Bored's, The Liars, The Confrontationalists and The Controversials
Trolls just want attention and will do what ever it takes to get a reaction, any reaction, out of people.
The more people they can get to foaming at the mouth the better.
Some possibly have Oppositional Defiant Disorder and want to pick a fight with somebody/anybody/everybody.
They deliberately push peoples buttons.
The best course of action is to ignore / shun / not respond but it can be hard to do sometimes.
If I could just block posts/answers/private messages from people I felt were trolls, then I wouldn't have to look at nonsense designed to waste my time.
There's such a grey area (trolls can appear reasonable at times) that site mediators don't/can't/won't delete troll posts all the time.

cause people are bored and looking for a very cheap thrill. if my husband weren't so busy with work, he'd probably be a troll on here. He loves to push peoples buttons and watch them squirm. It drives him nuts to push buttons and get ignored. So a site like this where everyone has an opinion and likes to share it,man oh man he'd get a kick out of it.

also, this summer - nothing on tv. Movies cost an arm and a leg. What else to do? Kids are bored and probably sit around together coming up with what stupid post to write on this site.

what ever happened to trolling the neighborhood on your bike, lol. thats what i did as a teen :)

It definitely is for attention. I can understand why trolls get a kick out of messing with people online. Occasionally I think they can be pretty funny unless they're being mean and hurtful to people. I will never understand why anybody would enjoy hurting people, yet so many do.. I think maybe the fact that this is a mommy site makes them feel more rebellious - they get to be scolded by the mamas like naughty little children! :-)

ETA: @Michelle H - It looks like you've only been on this site for a few days. If you had seen some of the trolls that people are talking about, you probably wouldn't be calling us all "mindless." That wasn't nice.. maybe YOU are a troll! (lol jk)

I think they're just bored and looking to get a "rise" out of people. Pathetic, really.

I don't know, but I kind of miss having 'Dandylion' around here.

I can only figure boredom. It is sad that they don't have other things to do, but it is a cruel world out there. People are now stuck in the house with internet as their "outside" world. Things will get creepier as we go on I'm afraid.

Very good question. Only a person with very little IQ, no motivation to do anything productive and no friends is my best guess.

QueenoftheCastle, I'm not trying to hijack your post but I want to explain IMO, how a troll comes across on this site. I've stated this before...
1. A troll ask very specific medical questions using big medical terms about a very specific medical condition.
2. A troll ask about a family violence situation that clearly should involve the police or states that harm has been do to someone then ask "what should I do"
3. A troll ask very specific questions about a location, event or product. (info that would be clearly available through Google)
Is this the case ALWAYS?, NO... But a lot of times on HERE? YES.
Sorry again Queen..

Here is what I would like to know about it. How do you all KNOW its a troll? Just because you all don't "think" it could not be true, then you yell "troll!"?

What if's are a wonderful thing. In my opinion, you all were NOT born with a built in troll detector. It could very well, harm the poster even more with your accusations. Bottom line is, if you "think" its a troll, then ignore.

I don't mean ignore AFTER you all have blasted the poster, I mean ignore before hand. DON"T ANSWER at all.

I have noticed, once one person claims a "troll" then about 20 other mindless responders will agree with what is written below them. That is NOT cool.

adrenaline whores.
khairete
S.

Good question!

I'm thinking maybe e time on their hands>attention they get in real life?