In this episode, we dig into why people troll, harass and gossip online and what makes it so common—from anonymity and online disinhibition to personality traits, from group dynamics to platform culture. We explore who trolls are, what motivates them, and how even ordinary people can get caught up in it. With real-life examples and research, we also look at how to tackle trolling and make the internet a kinder place.
Content warning: sexual harassment, suicide, and psychological distress.
Support resources If you have been affected by the content of this episode in any way, the supports at the link below may be of assistance. If you are not in Ireland, please seek supports local to you. Irish Health Service Executive mental health supports
Pieta House - Suicide and Self-harm Resource
Key Papers
Suler (2004). The Online Disinhibition Effect. Cyberpsychology and Behaviour.
Rost, et al. (2016). Digital Social Norm Enforcement: Online Firestorms in Social Media. PLOS One.
Synnott, et al. (2017). Online trolling: The case of Madeleine McCann. Computers in Human Behavior.
Ng, et al. (2023). Does Instagram make you speak ill of others or improve yourself? A daily diary study on the moderating role of malicious and benign envy. Computers in Human Behavior.
Buckles, et al. (2014). Trolls just want to have fun. Personality and Individual Differences.
Moor & Anderson (2019). A systematic literature review of the relationship between dark personality traits and antisocial online behaviours. Personality and Individual Differences.
Dineva, et al. (2021). A review of organisational strategies to deal with trolls and their effectiveness. Internet Research.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.