The Barbelith community has been having a long, fascinating discussion of the factors that go into message-board trolling. Pissing in the conversational well has always struck me as such a cheap and easy way of getting attention — it's really interesting to read more in-depth views on the subject.
First off, getting a rise out of people is priceless. There is a distinct exhilirating rush knowing that you've really twisted the knife, gotten the goat. There is probably some amount of sadism to this. Hurting other people for fun.
Analyzing someone for buttons, then carefully pressing them, can also be challenging as fuck. While people tend to fall into certain categories — with broad, generalized buttons — everyone is different, and it can take a gentle touch and canny wits to unearth that little something that will really set someone off. We're talking about seriously honing mental muscles that don't otherwise get much use.
(via Plastic Bag)
