Trolls as creators of disinformation. Analysis of the phenomenon

Abstract

When there were only traditional media such as press, radio or television, communication was structured and predictable. The emergence of social media has not only changed us as users, but has provided completely new opportunities for communication. At the same time, unfortunately, there were threats resulting from the lack of content control, its rapid growth and the impact on the creation and distribution process, which increased the amount of disinformation. These factors have created fertile ground for trolls carrying out disinformation attacks in the form of entertainment publications or hate speech publications. Their role is to ridicule or insult, and their goal is to destabilize the discussion, mislead their interlocutors, and thus damage the good name of a person or group. The article describes the phenomenon of trolling and its relationship with disinformation, focusing on the features, behaviors and effects of such activities.