Men more likely to be online trolls than women—study

Social media has become such a powerful tool for communication that it seems the majority of the population in the world have online accounts on various platforms.

Facebook remains as of the more popular medium, particularly in the Philippines, where almost everyone has access to it.

However, free access online has also given birth to the rise of online trolls, who often spew hate and negativity through postings and comments.

A recent study published in the “Computers in Human Behavior” journal showed a correlation between the so-called trolls and their behavioral and trait patterns.

After analyzing data from 573 Facebook users, men were deemed more likely to possess narcissistic tendencies than women, which may include antisocial online behavior on Facebook.

“The link between narcissism and stronger antisocial motives for using Facebook may be situated within the general tendency of narcissists to hold extremely positive self-views that are reliant on external social feedback as well as their hostile and exploitative behavior,” lead author  Dr. Nelli Ferenczi wrote, as relayed by The Huffington Post.

“When narcissists use Facebook, they tend to do so for self-promoting content, including frequent Facebook status updates, and brag about their achievements in their updates.”

The research also proved that male users were more likely to respond aggressively and resort to cyberbullying tactics when engaged in an online debate.

Women, on the other hand, were concluded to be using the social platform for “prosocial reasons,” particularly community building and connecting with others.

“Women are more likely to use Facebook to maintain existing relationships relative to men: they are more likely to use it to express emotional support, engage in more prosocial interactions, and to communicate,” Dr. Ferenczi said.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra