Peer-reviewed scientific paper: Internet Trolls are Narcissistic, Machiavellian, psychopathic, and sadistic
POSTED BY: MAL4PREZ
UPDATED: Saturday, June 21, 2025 15:19
VIEWED: 18404
PAGE 8 of 11
Bit of clarification: I don't mean to watch what you say in the sense of oh no board big brother or anything, I mean that you never know how someone is going to take something over the internet. They might read into it something that wasn't intended, or miss something tonally that would make it a joke.
And it's surprisingly easy for people to get hurt/angry/upset over the internet. I've seen people actually get really despondent about things and I've had to talk them out of hurting themselves.
All I'm saying is that it's important to remember that behind all this faceless text is a person, not just an opponent.
Quote:
It was easy for me to wrap my head around and when the truth is available for me to latch onto I will. I will concede to the better argument.
Well, it can be difficult to do that in the heat of the moment. But I think everyone here tries. That's the most anyone here can ask of anyone.
Quote:
I found myself in a terrible fight with SYGNYM and got crazy mad when first starting to post here. I even suggested to her we avoid each other. I apologized to the other readers of the thread at the time because I thought it was extremely bad behavior on my part.
I don't think there's any person who's been here longer than a year who I haven't, in anger, tried to suggest we avoid each other or refused to talk with for a stretch of time.
The interesting thing is, there were a few times some of them agreed, but I actually still talk to EVERYONE here. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing from their perspective, but there it is.
They're actually all pretty good people, once you move past what you disagree about and start to see what you do agree about. The big picture stuff. Not like about whether or not Nixon was officially/fully impeached, but about whether he was a crook. Even the die-hard conservatives and liberals can agree with each other now and then, and they don't always like each other.
I try to get along with everyone because I can kinda see where people are coming from, even the ones that tend to get the most disagreement. Once you figure out what makes people tick, it's hard to think poorly of them, even if there's personal offense clouding up the view.
Quote:
I see wrong in some of what I am doing here and improvement is my goal.
And that's admirable, and I think people will see that if you keep it up.
I think chiming in the way they do may be an unavoidable part of any place with a sense of community. Some people will be friends and they'll always come to each other's defense. And really, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is hard to be on the receiving end.
Quote:
You destroy a person's reputation by telling bad things about them. These things don't even have to be true. However, if other people believe the stories that you are telling, then you will destroy the person's reputation.
All very true. That's why I look at it this way - at the best of times we might all be able to get along, even support each other for some spectacular real life efforts, but at the same time, we're all also anonymous. I'll never know if anyone is what they say they are, and they'll never know about me. So, I treat everyone like their own person and try not to think in terms of sockpuppets, and at the same time, I can't be concerned about my "reputation" or "credibility," because here, I don't technically have any.
And ultimately, if I'm arguing with someone about something, who I am or who they are isn't really on topic, it doesn't affect our opinions or the conversation.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
people go batshit crazy on the internet. it's because you cant see each other, see the reaction. Normally no one would speak to another person in the way that they address one another on the Internet, no sane person anyway. Initially, the 'fuck you' and 'you're a jerk, troll, sockpuppet' is very freeing. All of us would probably love to say that to someone in RW at some point or another, but mostly we dont because of consequences. I have a few executive directors that I'd love to say 'listen, you know you are a destructive narcissist who everybody sees through....' or words to that affect. But I don't. I'd be sacked. So when you say something like this on the boards, its quite freeing. But there are still consequences, someone may end up getting hurt badly, just you might not see it. As Byte says, people can take it pretty badly and we might never know.....Scary thought.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:So, this is directed at ME? You talkin' to ME? Well, you must be, because I don't see any other batshit crazies here at the moment!
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
people go batshit crazy on the internet.
I resemble that remark! (sometimes)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:So, this is directed at ME? You talkin' to ME? Well, you must be, because I don't see any other batshit crazies here at the moment!
Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
people go batshit crazy on the internet.
I resemble that remark! (sometimes)
Hahaha. Seeing as everyone is really your sockpuppet, Chrissy, including me, I guess it would have to be directed at you.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
I looked at your posts and found them to be short concise and polite. My response back became belligerent and hateful and more of a group directed response.
Yeah, it can be pretty difficult in an heated argument to not view all the opposition as the same entity. I think that's a big part of what happened as well.
I think it says a lot that you're apologizing. :)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
There is more than one way to be a jerk on these kind of boards. You get your overt types who are blatantly rude.
"fuck off"
"You libtards"
etc etc
Then you get a more subtle kind. The ones who like to wind others up, hijack threads and arguments, misrepresent the views of others, cross thread posting.
Overt and covert conflict behaviours. They can both be destructive. One is harder to name than the other. You are left with a sense of being manipulated or insulted but you can't as easily work out why.
Me, I cope with the overt types better. You know what you get. The other kind drive me nuts.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME