Why do people troll???!!

[KnackeredHag]

Why oh why do people do this?! Genuinely struggling to understand why someone would post such a heart wrenching post and appeal for help just for kicks, only for it to be some sick joke. I just can not get my head around this level of psychopathic behaviour. AiBU to ask for other people to tell me why individuals troll, as an anonymous on a forum, not even as themselves?

Have you considered they might just be kids? Mumsnet is widely known, lesser known parenting forums to which I’m a member don’t have this that I’ve noticed

I thought it was boredom or attention seeking but if you’ve ever watched catfish a lot of them struggle with life for various reasons. Which makes me just pity them because I can’t see how trolling would make you feel better but they say hurt people hurt people as they like to be someone else and try and hurt people/get attention in one way or another.

No idea. We had a supply teacher once in our department who (proudly) told us he was a troll - he used to post insulting and vile things on like, the memorial pages of dead children etc. He said he once commented on a Madeline McCann page ‘I’ve got her in my cellar’ or something similar. Vile but the worst part was he seemed pretty normal to talk to previous to admission.

I didn’t think anyone would be proud!!

Unfulfilled lives and loneliness?

I think some of them have a personality disorder (such as borderline personality disorder) but often do wonder why people do it. I’m sure there is probably research out there into the psychology of these people and it would likely make for interesting reading.

Because they are arses.

@Toni42

Have you considered they might just be kids? Mumsnet is widely known, lesser known parenting forums to which I’m a member don’t have this that I’ve noticed

I honestly don't think it's kids.

Most self respecting kids would be trolling Instagram or Twitter.

Not hanging about a website for parents 🤷‍♀️

@vodkaredbullgirl

Yes.

@WorraLiberty I don’t want to give away too much ad hate being identifiable but trust me some kids find it very funny browsing through topics. Do u realise how many times mumsnet is mentioned in the media? Kids do notice

I often wonder this too. Sad and empty lives 🤷‍♀️

Don’t want to give away too much in regards to my job. I.e. I work with kids

I always think it’s cringy when people comment about schools being on holiday and referring to kids posting. I know of not a single young person who would get a kick out of winding up a bit of mammies about school lunches.

Different threads will relate to different kinds of people. The sad and lonely, those acting out a trauma, the emotional vampires, people hoping for cash, the kink posters etc etc

"Psychopaths make up about 1 percent of the general population"
Psychopaths genuinely enjoy other people's suffering.
And they congregate where they can do harm, and witness the outcome, without getting caught.

Then there's narcissists, who don't particularly care about your feelings, but love attention, and feeling in power. And they're a lot more common than psychopaths.

... On the flip-side, there's a lot more of well-meaning people genuinely trying to help each others
We just need to do our best, to keep the sadists and attention-seekers away from decent human beings.

I don’t get it at all. Boredom? Resentment at people with “normal” lives they don’t have, so they get off on causing bother online? Mental health issues?

Speaking of which was the plotting Rottweiler thread a troll? I enjoyed that one so much I changed my username in honour

@Alwaysinpain This'll likely get deleted but 'Can somebody call 999 for me'

Kids in danger, DV, hiding in a room etc etc. All absolute bullshit.

Boredom Or trying to get money out of people etc.

Hmm. I wonder if that relates to the thread currently going about a woman who heard a woman screaming for someone to call 999 but she didn’t.

Low threshold for telling lies plus boredom is my guess

@Passmethecrisps Not that one (as far as I know)

I don’t think it’s the same thread but it sounds like it has interesting parallels.

Some are totally obvious like the sistine chapel one and the fishnet tights one that has just been deleted.Then you get the seemingly normal ones that fool everyone.

Mumsnet can be a shitty place. Someone called my kids brats earlier on..... I didn't insult them or call them names but they felt that was okay.

@Tunnocks34

No idea. We had a supply teacher once in our department who (proudly) told us he was a troll - he used to post insulting and vile things on like, the memorial pages of dead children etc. He said he once commented on a Madeline McCann page ‘I’ve got her in my cellar’ or something similar. Vile but the worst part was he seemed pretty normal to talk to previous to admission.

😦😦🙄🤦‍♀️wtf is wrong with folk?!

Attention seeking.

I feel like there’s different types of trolls.

You get the goady ones who seem to enjoy winding people up and then running away. They’ll start a thread saying they think breast feeding in public is disgusting.

Then you get the attention seeking trolls. They want to get a long thread going, with everyone invested and hanging onto their every word. They’ll do a fake parking drama thread or claim they just caught their husband cheating, with the drama increasing in every post.

You also get the trolls after money, but I consider these more as scammers.

I think some are bored. Some enjoy watching the drama. Some want to play make believe and have some attention. And some are just very weird.