- Title
- High esteem and hurting others online : trait sadism moderates the relationship between self-esteem and internet trolling
- Creator
- March, Evita; Steele, Genevieve
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/173323
- Identifier
- vital:14659
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0652
- Identifier
- ISBN:2152-2723 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- Internet trolling is commonly defined as disruptive online behavior, intended to provoke and distress others for amusement. Previous research has shown that gender (specifically, male), trait psychopathy, and trait sadism significantly predict engaging in trolling. In this study, we sought to replicate and extend previous research by exploring the role of self-esteem in predicting trolling, and possible interactions between self-esteem and personality. Participants (n = 400, 67.5 percent women, average age = 24.97 years [SD = 8.84]) completed an online questionnaire, including measures of psychopathy, sadism, self-esteem, and trolling behaviors. Results corroborated previous research showing gender (male) to be a significant predictor of trolling, and trait psychopathy and sadism to be significant positive predictors. Although self-esteem had no additional value on top of trait psychopathy and sadism in explaining trolling, there was a significant interaction between self-esteem and trait sadism. A moderation analysis indicated a positive relationship between self-esteem and trolling, but only when trait sadism was high. These results portray the troll as a callous individual may enjoy causing psychological harm, particularly if their self-esteem is high. These results contribute to building the psychological profile of trolls and provide future directions for research exploring trolling behaviors.
- Publisher
- Mary Ann Liebert
- Relation
- Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking Vol. 23, no. 7 (2020), p. 441-446
- Rights
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Rights
- Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.,
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 0806 Information Systems; 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences; Gender; Psychopathy; Sadism; Self-esteem; Trolling
- Full Text
- Reviewed
- Hits: 1726
- Visitors: 1844
- Downloads: 273
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Published | 184 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |