Psychological Underpinnings of Online Trolling: The Interplay of Ambivalent Sexism and Dark Triad Personality Traits

Online trolling is an act, which may include deception, aggression and abuse against individuals online. It results in emotional distress to the victim and can lead to extreme consequences like withdrawing or quitting social media, mental health difficulties and others. This study was conducted to understand the relationship between online trolling, ambivalent sexism towards women and dark triad personality traits (machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism). Cross-Sectional Design was followed and purposive sampling was done. A total of 42 individuals from the 18 to 25 years age group were taken in the sample with 22 female participants and 20 male participants. Ambivalent Sexism Inventory-Short Form (ASI-SF), Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD) scale and a 7-items scale developed by authors for online trolling, were employed for collecting the data. Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Correlation, Independent Samples t Test and Simple Linear Regression using the Jamovi software. Correlational analysis revealed significant relationships between online trolling and ambivalent sexism, machiavellianism and psychopathy. There were significant gender differences on online trolling and ambivalent sexism, with males scoring higher than females. Lastly, it was found that dark triad personality traits and ambivalent sexism significantly predicted online trolling. Future implications and limitations of this study are discussed.