The art of trolling

I've always assumed the terms "troll" and "trolling" were pejorative words adopted by the politically correct to describe Internet behaviour of which they disapproved. In Internet life, real life activities such as "mocking" become "trolling" and to be condemned because the Internet represents the new world where we're all terribly "nice" to one another

The words are now appearing in the real world without the connotation of disapproval, as in this story of Swatch "trolling" Apple

The original meaning of the word troll and the only one truly educated people acknowledge is the classical definition: "A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, troll may have been a negative synonym for a j├╢tunn (plural j├╢tnar). In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human beings." In real life one of the Board members with whom I have been recently disputatious resembles nothing so much as a troll (see the illustration accompanying the Wikipedia entry). Those who've met him in his not inconsiderable flesh will know who I mean.

[francois]

What term do the truly educated use in lieu of troll/trolling regarding Internet behavior?

[Khor tose]

Shame on you Francois. You should know that the "truly educated" would use a French word. That word is provocateur. However, all trolls are provocateurs, but not all provocateurs are trolls. Without provocateurs to challenge the status quo we would still be in the stone ages.

[francois]

Zut! I thought trolling was to cast out a fishing line and wait for the suckers to take the bait and then reel them in.
Provacateur is so much more elegant and descriptive.

[Rogie]

Often mention of a single word calls to mind an association, so for example the word heinous becomes a heinous crime. Provocateur becomes agent provocateur which is the only phrase I'm familiar with. But I agree, using provocateur on its own has a classy ring to it.

Shame on you Francois. You should know that the "truly educated" would use a French word. That word is provocateur. However, all trolls are provocateurs, but not all provocateurs are trolls. Without provocateurs to challenge the status quo we would still be in the stone ages.

Surely the word "provocateur" is an adjective as in the phrase "agent provocateur"? That phrase actually means "(French for "inciting agent") an undercover agent who acts to entice another person to commit an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act." As gay men of a certain age in Anglo-Saxon societies when same-sex activity was illegal we're aware of agents provocateurs, usually policemen who engaged in entrapment, posing as homosexuals in cruising areas so as to catch men soliciting for sex. I'm not sure that that's really a phrase we'd want to encourage on a gay forum (although I do have a 'fake" (in the sense of entirely made up) Facebook persona so I can stalk (sorry, I mean carry out background checks) on lads who may be candidates to become one of Kommie's Boys)

Those who are trying to use "provocateur" as a noun are confusing the behaviour described as "inciting" with "provoking", which is not the same thing - which is why we have two different words in English. "To provoke" is not at all the same action as "to incite".

Someone who is dismissed as a troll may sometimes intend to provoke alternative notions to the ones being proposed as well as to mock the pretensions of others (and their ideas). You couldn't reasonably describe those actions as "incitement". I think francois and khor tose will have to come up with better words than the ones advanced so far

[francois]

I think francois and khor tose will have to come up with better words than the ones advanced so far

Au contraire! I suggest kommentariat come up with better word or words to define troll since he started the topic.

Here is definition from Oxford Dictionary:

noun

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1A person who makes a deliberately offensive or provocative online post.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
1.1 informal A deliberately offensive or provocative online posting.

verb

[NO OBJECT]
1 informal Make a deliberately offensive or provocative online post with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them:
if people are obviously trolling then IтАЩll delete your posts and do my best to ban you
[WITH OBJECT]: you folks taking this opportunity to troll me, you really need to reassess your values in your life

[Khor tose]

Allow me to add the synonyms for provocateur:

Synonyms
demagogue (also demagog), exciter, firebrand, fomenter, incendiary, inciter, instigator, kindler, agitator, rabble-rouser

It is a noun. My latin books said it's root is from the verb provacare which means to call out or proclaim. They made that verb into the latin noun provocotor which means challenger. I still think this is the perfect word, but I am open to suggestions.

[Nirish guy]

What term do the truly educated use in lieu of troll/trolling regarding Internet behavior?

While not claiming to be truly educated in any way I always think the word "dickhead" suffices when thinking what to call most trolls.

[Smiles]

" ... It is a (fucking) noun(!) My latin books said (so) ... "

Do you really think the sophisticates on this board will fall for such blatant name-dropping (well ... book-dropping I guess in this case).
S'cuse me, I must get back to my "latin books" ... yes, you heard me, my 'books' with an 's', not just 'a' book.