Trolling: A Threat to Healthy Online Discourse?

Recently, a video of a girl crying at a Diljit Dosanjh concert went viral. Some mocked her for getting so emotional, while others defended her, calling it a genuine expression of joy. This incident is just one example of how trolling has become a common part of social media life. But it’s not harmless, trolling can deeply affect mental health, turning what should be a moment of happiness into something disturbing. In this piece, I’ll talk about why people troll, its impact, especially on women who often face objectification, and whether the Instagram v/s YouTube comments debate has any basis. The piece ends with a glance at legal provisions regarding trolling. It’s time to rethink how we interact online and protect healthy conversations.

Trolling is an act of mocking or passing hateful comments on others online. People often do it anonymously, reflecting a part of their conscience that this is something wrong and they might get into trouble for it, but regardless they don’t stop. It is often a result of pre-existing stereotypes and inherent personality traits. Amongst people who enjoy debating and conversing online on different issues, there are about 5.6% people who self-identify as trolls. Scientists have increasingly become interested in studying such behaviours.

There was a study conducted on 1200 internet users to understand common traits in these trolls which were termed as “dark traits”. These trolls showed high levels of psychopathy, sadism, and narcissism. In other words, these are people who enjoy others’ pain and have undiagnosed psychological conditions that are projected on others through hate over the internet without having a face. Sadists particularly can find inflicting emotional pain on others as rewarding and pleasurable whereas a normal person could feel guilt for the same. There is a concept called everyday sadism which refers to sadistic traits existing in everyone like the adrenaline rush you feel watching an action movie.

Trolling can be as unavoidable and basic as someone randomly tweeting for Lisa Kudrow from the most-watched show Friends “I hope you all have a great weekend except you, Lisa Kudrow!”. Or it can be in the form of Griefers; these are people who deliberately cause disruptions on online gaming platforms to provoke or spoil the enjoyment of others. Like someone sabotaging team efforts by destroying a key or intentionally killing teammates. It can take visual forms like memes, using caricatures to describe famous celebrities and politicians.

In 2004, scientist John Suler coined the term online disinhibition effect, which refers to how people behave differently online compared to offline due to several factors. One such factor is solipsistic introjection, where an individual creates an idea of a person in their mind based solely on their words. This can lead to dehumanization, as the individual fails to acknowledge that the other person is real, with genuine feelings that can be hurt. This disconnect between the actual conversation and the constructed version of the person can result in dissociative imagination. This phenomenon is particularly relevant to griefers, who treat their actions as part of a different kind of game. They essentially perceive the online world as a virtual reality they can leave behind whenever they choose. This makes trolling an easy way to harm others without facing any accountability, all while maintaining invisibility.

In Suler’s description, the most impactful point shaping the online disinhibition effect and trolling behaviour in conversations is the absence of fear of punishment. For many, the online space becomes an outlet for frustration, allowing individuals who lack the means or courage to commit crimes in real life to vent their anger on targeted individuals.

Women are particularly vulnerable to trolling, often facing twice the abuse that men do. On almost any public post involving a woman—whether known or unknown—you’ll find rape threats and objectifying comments. Trolls sexualize women and show a disturbing inclination toward promoting rape culture. Following the horrific Kolkata rape case in August 2024, a man tweeted (a post later removed by X, formerly Twitter) that the victim was “not even good-looking” and that his intent was to “uplift men.” In the same tweet, he claimed he didn’t want to disrespect the victim, which is exactly what he ended up doing. This reflects a troubling trend where trolls either fail to recognize the danger of their words in promoting misogyny and rape culture or are in denial about their role in perpetuating it.

The Class 10th UP Board topper, Prachi Nigam, also faced hate online for having more facial hair than what society deems acceptable for females. While the young girl maintained a positive outlook and gave fitting replies to her trolls, her experience highlights the unrelenting hate on the internet. What may seem like a vibrant and happening space from the outside often conceals a darker reality. Society continues to dictate what women can do with their bodies and lives and, in some cases, denies them even basic respect. A woman who isn’t conventionally “good-looking” might not even be considered worthy of a man’s sexual violence, let alone his respect—an appalling reflection of the misogyny deeply ingrained in online discourse.

There is an ongoing debate comparing YouTube and Instagram comments, two of the most widely used online platforms. Instagram is often portrayed as having a more aggressive "gang of trolls" compared to YouTube's seemingly more peaceful community. However, there is no verifiable research to substantiate this claim. Both platforms experience enough trolling to disrupt the peace of their respective online communities.

One possible explanation for the perception of more heinous verbal attacks on Instagram could be the platform's larger number of active users and its diverse interaction options. Unlike YouTube, where interactions are largely limited to comments or live chats during streams, Instagram offers various ways to engage—through posts, stories, reels, direct messages, and live sessions—providing trolls with more avenues to target others. This expanded interactivity might contribute to the higher visibility of toxic behaviour on Instagram.

There are legislations and provisions protecting citizens against trolling and cyberbullying like the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal where complaints can be lodged online against hate speech and verbal harassment online. Section 354 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) previously the IPC section 354 covers online sexual harassment including lewd comments or sexually explicit content. IPC section 500 which is now BNS Section 356 deals with defamatory statements online.

The provisions to address cyberbullying and trolling exist, but abuse on online platforms remains widespread, leaving every user vulnerable to hate crimes. Stricter enforcement of these laws is essential, along with effective measures to protect young people from becoming victims or perpetrators of trolling.

Nausheen Ali Nizami is pursuing Psychology from Jamia Millia Islamia

Edited by- Sana Faiz