Abstract
From relentless malevolence to political provocation, from rogue deception to justifiable protest, and from psychological harassment to harmless enjoyment, online trolling takes many forms. While we can simply ignore acts of online deviance, understanding its complexities can reveal much about our society and ourselves. In Online Trolling and Its Perpetrators: Under the Cyberbridge, Pnina Fichman and Madelyn R. Sanfilippo explore the existing body of literature on online trolling and assert the need for more rational depth in future inquiries. Rather than clinging to the distinction between online and offline interactions, it is critical to consider the complicated social, cultural, and technical factors that influence the motivations of and reactions to trolls.
The authors highlight the inevitable inseparability between people and their technologies, acknowledging the reciprocal relationship between the digital and the material. This is significant when interrogating online trolling, as it helps us conceptualize how behaviors online do not exist in a vacuum untouched by offline reality. This text also progresses beyond purely academic perspectives, incorporating popular knowledge and public dialogues surrounding the subject. Trolls are frequently portrayed as antisocial, provocative, or downright abusive, but the authors stress that it is important to also consider the ways in which they work to challenge and change dominant ideologies. As Chapter 5 emphasizes, ‘All Trolling Is Not Equal’.
By the end of the introduction, the authors designate their intended audience as researchers and students in disciplines associated with the Information School, but also anyone who is an active participant online. Public scholarship is an admirable goal, but while the examples throughout will surely be relevant to a more general audience, this text remains bound to academia. Although dealing with a familiar topic does not necessarily make a piece universally accessible, the authors have still created an insightful and useful book for scholars. That said, one of the definite strengths of this text is the authors’ consistent use of figures and tables. This not only works as illustrative evidence but adds a helpful visual dynamic to more complicated explanations that may otherwise be lost, especially for those who are less familiar with this kind of academic research. The book’s organization is also straightforward, flows logically, and the authors successfully problematize many aspects of the existing literature. However, they do end up posing too many questions, possibly leaving the reader unsatisfied.
The book is divided into 10 chapters, also including an introduction and conclusions. Although the authors do not provide much context initially—they assume that anyone who picks up this book must be reasonably familiar with the concept of trolling—they do go on to discuss definitions and examples in Chapter 2. Here, Fichman and Sanfilippo define online trolling as ‘repetitive, disruptive online deviant behavior by an individual toward other individuals and groups’ that has ‘a wide variety of manifested practices, meanings, contexts, and implications’ (p. 6). These specifications are important, as they do not classify deviant behavior as necessarily exploitative or damaging, simply intentionally interrupting normal expectations. The authors’ literature review is detailed and extensive, demonstrating that popular understandings and scholarly definitions of trolling vary, but concluding that the key to tackling this topic is moving beyond identification. Instead of continuing to hone in on what trolling is, it is more productive to consider the nuances of trolling behavior and its impact within communities.
Chapter 3 is an investigation of the motivations for online deviance. After reviewing the body of knowledge that addresses this theme, Fichman and Sanfilippo coherently categorize trolling motives into six areas: malevolence or abnormal impulse, enjoyment, activism or ideology, social status, psychological factors, and technology. This then leads into Chapter 4, which discusses the enabling factors of particular platforms from a sociotechnical perspective. Previous scholars have found anonymity and lack of accountability to be the most significant enablers, but the authors articulately identify important gaps, such as how these factors interact and whether they simply allow or actually encourage deviance.
Moving forward, Fichman and Sanfilippo integrate their own contributions to the field in subsequent chapters, showcasing their qualitative approach to uncovering popular understandings more thoroughly. Utilizing focus groups and interviews with open-ended questions and letting participants guide discussions effectively gives more voice to the participatory community most familiar with and affected by trolling behavior. Other recent work has used ethnographic tactics in order to encounter and observe the atypical acts of users first-hand, interacting with the participants directly (Phillips, 2015). While this method has provided insight into the intricacies of contemporary computer-mediated communication, I appreciate Fichman and Sanfilippo’s push for even more sociological research on trolling dealing with the intricacies of context, gender, and culture. Due to the Internet’s effective erasure of traditional identity markers, some have argued that these factors become less important to online interactions than, for example, shared interests or a common endeavor (Gee, 2005). However, even though the allowances of anonymity are real, our socially constructed offline identities can never be completely separated from our lives online.
Fichman and Sanfilippo do recognize that other scholars have shown the ways in which lived realities shape online behavior, such as correlations between race and cyberbullying or national differences in trolling practices (p. 3). Nevertheless, they desire a better interrogation of these relationships. Due to their emphasis on the need for more dedicated attention to racial and cultural impacts, it is interesting that they do little to address digital inequity. Although the Internet has become commonplace, disparities in access, knowledge, and skill still exist. It would be useful to consider whose voices are included and excluded, both in actual online participation and in subsequent research discussions, and how these affordances influence what we see happening online.
As the book draws to a close, Chapter 10 summarizes the positive and negative impacts of trolling. These deviant behaviors inevitably shape our communities and interactions both online and offline, for better and for worse. The widespread regularity of these tactics necessitates further research that works toward better management strategies. The authors do not provide a total analysis of deviant behaviors by any means, but this is not the intention of this particular text, which instead works to productively shift the focus of this area of study. Through their extremely detailed literature review, they uncover numerous gaps they hope will be addressed as the academy moves forward. The authors begin this endeavor with their own work, adding new perspectives to the growing body of knowledge on trolling by conversing with young users and honoring their experiences as evidence adding to the complexities of this cultural phenomenon.
As we continue to interact in online communities, the sociological impact of trolling is unlikely to diminish. Online spaces facilitate deviant behaviors by encouraging anonymity and identity play, and while this is beneficial, it can also lead to the serious disruption of virtual environments. Online Trolling and Its Perpetrators: Under the Cyberbridge provides a comprehensive examination of the current literature and successfully addresses numerous questions regarding the motivations, reactions, and sociocultural influences and impacts of online deviance. The temporality of virtual spaces and shifting social dynamics make studying online interactions difficult, but scholars should embrace the challenge as it is crucial to understand how these behaviors are constantly affecting our everyday lives.