I’m going to share a few beautiful—and perhaps not entirely "buttoned-up"—definitions of what trolling actually is. There are quite a few versions out there, and I suppose it's clear that different people recognize trolling in different ways, much like how everyone’s tolerance for it varies. When trying to define whether something qualifies as trolling, I think it’s important to try and identify the (bad) intentions of the person involved—though, to be fair, that can sometimes be hard to distinguish from someone just being ignorant or having a somewhat warped sense of humor and
contributing to the topic. Sometimes, what is intended as trolling ends up just becoming off-topic chatter or spam, which basically just ruins the readability of a thread.
In the same vein, a post might technically fit a definition of trolling, but in reality, it could just be an expression of someone's unique creativity. But let's say—though it's rare—that a few people can maintain a reputation as high-quality trolls, or at least
tolerable ones. Generally speaking, aside from being clever and well-spoken, they usually have
good intentions, and their contributions to the discussion (in terms of keeping things lively or provoking others into providing quality responses, etc.) tend to outweigh any harm caused (like someone accidentally feeling insulted by what was actually a benign joke, for instance).
Definitions and examples (the troll in general):
/1/
Being a jerk on the internet simply because you have the opportunity. Usually involving throwing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks at an innocent bystander, because it's the internet and, well, you can.
Guy: "I just found the coolest ninja pencil in existence."
Other Guy: "I just found the most idiotic thread in existence."/2/
Trolling is the attempt to get a rise out of someone. It involves forcing them to react to you, whether through wisecracks, posting incorrect info, asking blatantly stupid questions, or other nonsense. That said, trolling statements are never actually true, nor are they ever meant to be taken as such. Almost all trolling statements are intended to be funny to certain people, so it does carry some level of social or entertainment value.
"Trolling" isn't quite the same thing as "harmful statements." Intentionally insulting or libelous comments are actually considered "flaming."
Just as problematic as trolling itself is "Feeding The Trolls." This happens when people say things they know will trigger a trolling response, or when they reply to comments that are obviously from a troll. This is especially common when a troll makes their initial comment and then (usually many) people jump in, either attempting to correct them or expressing anger at the statement. At that specific moment, the trolling has succeeded and has been fed. Once encouraged by that success and the attention, trolls often find their way back.And plenty of other definitions can be found at this source:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trolling
