Video: The psychology of online trolls
An explanation of the ‘disinhibition effect’ shines light on the mentality of these Internet tyrants lurking in your comments section while hiding behind a veil of digital anonymity.
There are people who say things on the internet that they would never say to a person in a face-to-face scenario. These people have found a haven on the web, but who are they, and why do they feel free to do what they do?
That’s the question that inspired the video below from Academic Earth, which posits that their sense of freedom stems from the online disinhibition effect:
“The phenomenon wherein one abandons social inhibitions that would normally be present in face-to-face interactions.”
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.
