New psychology research sheds light on why people engage in online trolling behavior, which involves purposely causing conflict and stress on the internet. The findings, published in Psychological Reports, provide evidence that trolling behavior is more common among those with low self-esteem and a high fear of missing out (FOMO).
“I’ve been researching aggressive online behavior for a few years now,” said study author Isabella L. Silva Santos, a PhD student at The Federal University of Paraíba and member of the Media Psychology Lab.
“This interest arose from two issues: our daily lives are permeated by social media, and this use continues to increase. Even so, common interpersonal rules of conduct do not seem to apply in this environment: we say and do things that we would never do in our ‘real lives,’ especially when it comes to aggression. Much of this stems from the anonymity and lack of regulation of the online environment, but is also necessary to understand the psychological and social aspects of aggressive online behavior, such as trolling.”
The researchers proposed that people with low self-esteem might troll to feel better about themselves, while those with high self-esteem might use the internet in a more positive way. FOMO (or worrying that others are having fun without them) might also play a role, as people who worry about missing out might engage in trolling to get attention and feel less left out.
To test their hypothesis, the researchers collected data from 300 social media users residing in various regions of Brazil in 2022. The participants were primarily single (50%), women (63%), and college students (18.7%), with an average age of 27.68 years. The study included four psychological assessments: the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling-Revised, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Fear of Missing Out Scale, and the Antisocial Online Content Exposure Scale.
The study confirmed a negative relationship between self-esteem and online trolling. Individuals who disagreed with statements such as “I am able to do things as well as most other people” were more likely to engage in trolling behavior. This supports the idea that people with low self-esteem might use trolling as a way to cope with negative feelings by externalizing their aggression.
Santos said she was a bit surprised by the role of low self-esteem in trolling. “There was evidence for this hypothesis, but research on the relationship between aggression and self-esteem still has mixed results,” she explained. “However, the idea that our self-image can motivate us to attack complete strangers is an issue that deserves to be further explored by future studies.”
The researchers also found a positive relationship between FOMO and online trolling. This aligns with the notion that online aggression might help individuals with high FOMO avoid negative emotions and feelings of inferiority. The study suggested that online aggression is not just relational but can also manifest as direct behaviors like trolling.
Additionally, the researchers found that the consumption of antisocial online content mediated the impacts of both FOMO and self-esteem on trolling. This suggests that people with low self-esteem and high FOMO might engage more with aggressive content online, which in turn increases the likelihood of engaging in trolling behaviors.
Overall, the findings indicate “that online aggression has no simple explanations and is not only practiced by people at the extreme end of the antisocial spectrum,” Santos told PsyPost. “Our results demonstrate how individual aspects such as low self-esteem and FOMO (a variable associated with excessive use of social media) interact with situational variables, such as violent media, to increase aggressive behavior.”
The study provides valuable insights into the factors influencing online trolling behavior. However, the study does have some limitations. For example, it relied on correlational data, which means that causal relationships cannot be established. It’s not possible to definitively say whether low self-esteem and high FOMO directly cause online trolling or if there are other factors at play.
Santos said that future research should further examine “the role of violent media exposure as a risk factor for online aggressive behavior. This is an area that is quite explored regarding face-to-face interactions, but little addressed in the online context.”
The study, “Low Self-Esteem, High FOMO? The Other Side of the Internet Troll“, was authored by Isabella Leandra Silva Santos, Débora Cristina Nascimento Lima, Ericarla Verônica Almeida Dias, Thais Emanuele Galdino Pessoa, Tamyres Tomaz Paiva, and Carlos Eduardo Pimentel.
FAQs
This suggests that people with low self-esteem and high FOMO might engage more with aggressive content online, which in turn increases the likelihood of engaging in trolling behaviors.
What is the psychological reason for trolling? ›
Trolling is associated with sadism and psychopathy, as these traits often entail the ability to behave cruelly toward others. Trolling is also an online behavior, meaning that online environments' affordances may also explain why people troll. People seek environments where they can pursue their goals.
What are the psychological effects of Internet trolling? ›
Internet trolls can be annoying and frustrating, but they can also be harmful to your mental health if you let them affect you. Studies have shown that exposure to online harassment can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and even suicidal thoughts.
What is FoMO in psychology? ›
Abstract. Fear of missing out (FoMO) is a unique term introduced in 2004 to describe a phenomenon observed on social networking sites. FoMO includes two processes; firstly, perception of missing out, followed up with a compulsive behavior to maintain these social connections.
How is FoMO related to self-esteem? ›
Given that FoMO appears to be a predictor of PSMU (Franchina et al., 2018, Gori et al., 2023), previous studies have shown a significant negative association between FoMO and self-esteem (Vogel et al., 2014), and social comparison (Servidio et al., 2021, Yang and Robinson, 2018).
How does trolling affect self-esteem? ›
Trolling, which involves intentionally provoking and antagonizing others online, can have severe mental health consequences such as anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues. Teenage girls are especially vulnerable, often feeling pressure to edit their photos to meet societal standards of beauty.
What is the cause of trolling? ›
Most people troll others for either revenge, for attention seeking, for boredom and simply for personal amusem*nt.
What is FOMO psychology today? ›
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is defined as worrying about being absent from or overlooking a rewarding social experience. To avoid "missing out" on these experiences, in modern times, many individuals are driven to stay connected on social media.
What is an example of FOMO? ›
For example, you might get an invitation to a weekend party that you don't necessarily want to attend, but go anyway because you don't want to feel left out when your friends talk about it on Monday. Social media facilitates FOMO, but people have always experienced it,” explains Dr.
What is fear to stay in the psychology of FOMO? ›
The Psychological Effects of FOMO
Feeling left out can make you anxious and stressed if you worry about missing out on what others are doing. Social Comparison: FOMO often drives individuals to constantly compare themselves to others. Trying to keep up with perfect lives on social media can make people feel inadequate.
Limit social media time
If you find that spending too much time on social media triggers a feeling of FOMO, it may be useful to cut back on the time you spend on this. Alternatively, it may be useful to remove or unfollow people who appear to brag too much or elevate your FOMO.
What makes FOMO worse? ›
FOMO can affect anyone, but certain people are at higher risk for FOMO if they have an underlying mental health condition or have low level of self-esteem. Of course, social media isn't all bad, but it can be particularly harmful if your personal relationship with your body image is in disarray.
Does FOMO lead to addiction? ›
Individuals with a higher level of FoMO could easily follow up with others using real-time and multiple media applications, resulting in mobile phone addiction among its users [14].
Is trolling a coping mechanism? ›
Contrary to cyberbullies, who try to let others down to feel better about themselves, as a self-destructive coping mechanism, trolls get their ego boosted by hurting others. Therefore, any reply they get is sensed as a new opportunity to cause damage and elevate their self-esteem, reinforcing their behavior.
What is the motivation for trolling? ›
Trolls often seek retribution against those who have trolled them first, which is a common reason for trolling in online games (Cook et al., 2018). In addition, forum mod- erators who have blocked trolls may become targets of harassment and provocation as trolls seek revenge for being silenced (Shachaf & Hara, 2010).
Why do people feel the need to troll? ›
Dr Mark Griffiths, Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University said: “Most people troll others for either revenge, for attention seeking, for boredom, and for personal amusem*nt.”
Is trolling narcissistic? ›
Aggression and trolling behavior in the internet are positively associated. Vulnerable Narcissism is positively related to aggression and trolling behavior. Grandiose Narcissism is unrelated to aggression and trolling behavior after vulnerable narcissism is controlled.
