Troll: The Problem with Digital Tricksters and Monsters

‘Troll’ has become a ubiquitous metaphor and archetypal villain in digital media discourse. They hide in the shadows of digital spaces and prey upon the weak, unleashing arsenals of deception, harassment, or hatred for their own amusement or nefarious purposes. In this chapter, we analyze the origins and uses of the troll metaphor and – building on existing research – present a critique of its potential role in downplaying the severity of racism, misogyny, and state-orchestrated propaganda. The metaphors of ‘troll’ and ‘trolling,’ we argue, have become oversaturated with phantasmatic meaning due to their invocation of longstanding mythologies about tricksters and monsters. In this way, these terms contribute with little clarity, while adding a sense of more-than-human agency to social transgression online. Taken together, the chapter provides both an introduction to the etymology of the ‘troll’ metaphor as well as a critical discussion of its limitations in connection to threats to democratic debate.