Troll Test

The IDRlabs Troll Spectrum Test (IDR-TST) was developed by IDRlabs as a free online psychological self-assessment designed to measure traits associated with online trolling behaviors. The IDR-TST draws inspiration from academic research on the Dark Tetrad of personality—a cluster of socially aversive traits that includes Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism—as well as theories of online disinhibition and digital provocation. Although the test references established psychological concepts, it is not affiliated with or endorsed by any specific researchers or academic institutions in the field of internet psychology.

The conceptual basis of the IDR-TST aligns closely with findings by Buckels, Trapnell, and Paulhus (2014), who demonstrated that online trolls tend to exhibit higher levels of everyday sadism—deriving enjoyment from others’ discomfort—and other Dark Tetrad traits. Their study, “Trolls Just Want to Have Fun,” published in Personality and Individual Differences, revealed that trolling behaviors are often motivated by pleasure in causing chaos rather than by ideological or moral reasoning. The test also draws upon Troll (2017), which explores the psychological and sociological dimensions of trolling as a form of performative deviance—where individuals create digital personas to challenge social norms and provoke emotional reactions.

The IDR-TST evaluates users along multiple dimensions that capture different motivational and behavioral aspects of trolling. These include:

1. Provocative Amusement – The enjoyment derived from eliciting emotional responses, reflecting the sadistic pleasure identified by Buckels et al. (2014).
2. Anonymity Armor – The psychological protection afforded by online anonymity, consistent with the Online Disinhibition Effect described by Suler (2004), which suggests that individuals behave with less restraint when identity cues are minimized.
3. Disruptive Impulse – The tendency to disrupt social harmony and derive satisfaction from disorder, linked to the chaos-seeking element of online antisocial behavior (Cheng et al., 2017).
4. Sardonic Wit – The use of irony and dark humor as a mask for aggression, reflecting how trolling often blurs the line between humor and hostility.
5. Attention Hijacking – The drive to dominate discourse and seek attention through controversy, resonating with narcissistic traits (Craker & March, 2016).
6. Empathy Deficit – The diminished capacity for empathy or guilt, a common feature of psychopathy and sadism.
7. Contrarian Drive – The urge to oppose prevailing opinions for its own sake, aligning with oppositional or defiant tendencies.
8. Performative Chaos – The deliberate crafting of disruptive online personas for entertainment or spectacle, illustrating trolling as a performative act rather than spontaneous aggression.

While the IDR-TST aims to provide insight into these behaviors, IDRlabs emphasizes that it is not a professional diagnostic instrument. It is a self-report tool intended for entertainment and educational purposes, subject to limitations common to online personality tests, including self-report bias and lack of clinical validation. The creators note that statistical procedures were used to enhance reliability and validity, but results should not be interpreted as psychological diagnoses or professional assessments.

Ultimately, the IDR-TST reflects the growing academic and popular interest in understanding online antisocial behavior through the lens of personality psychology. Research in this area continues to illuminate the interplay between anonymity, personality traits, and digital aggression, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of why trolling persists across online communities.

References

• Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Paulhus, D. L. (2014). Trolls just want to have fun. Personality and Individual Differences, 67, 97–102.
• Hardaker, C. (2010). Trolling in asynchronous computer-mediated communication: From user discussions to academic definitions. Journal of Politeness Research, 6(2), 215–242.
• Phillips, W. (2015). This is why we can’t have nice things: Mapping the relationship between online trolling and mainstream culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Craker, N., & March, E. (2016). The dark side of Facebook®: The Dark Tetrad, negative social potency, and trolling behaviours. Personality and Individual Differences, 102, 79–84.
• Cheng, J., Bernstein, M., Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil, C., & Leskovec, J. (2017). Anyone can become a troll: Causes of trolling behavior in online discussions. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, 1217–1230.