Understanding the evolutionary characteristics of online trolls

Abstract

The current paper seeks to offer and provide evidence for a novel way of explaining online trolling behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Specifically, the goal of the current paper is to frame online trolling as an extension of the “principle of coercive threat” (Bingham & Souza, 2009). A series of correlations and multiple regressions was run to assess the relationships between Dark Triad traits, life history strategy, long-term social estrangements, social support, and trolling behavior. A significant effect of gender identity was found such that men engage in significantly more trolling behavior than do women. Additionally, online trolling behavior was found to be significantly positively correlated with Dark Triad traits and significantly negatively correlated with social support. This latter correlation is a novel finding that suggests new research directions, including ways to parse the differences between in-person and online interactions with others. Implications for current understanding of trolling behavior are discussed, and several future research directions are explored.