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

The Samaritans

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.