Multidimensionality of online trolling behavior

Abstract

This article bringings greater conceptual clarity to research on trolling, with a study that maps college students' perceptions of trolling behaviors and compares them to the media and scholarly interpretations. It identifies 4 behavioral types – serious trolling (not funny and ideologically motivated), humorous trolling, serious non-trolling behaviors, and humorous non-trolling – and 7 behavioral dimensions – meaningfulness, representativeness, pseudo-sincerity, intentionality, provocativeness, repetition, and satire. Employing Formal Concept Analysis it charts relationships between behavioral types and dimensions and develops a typology.