How trolls took over the world

Ten years ago, trolls on Twitter and other social sites were seen as cheap, attention-seeking pests. Now they’re in charge. Here’s why.

Jan 06, 2026

I try to explain trolling as simply as I can. My own definition is that trolling is the act of communicating to create bad feelings.

Appealing to reason is not trolling.

Trying to get good feelings like laughter or inspiration is not trolling.

Honestly expressing opinions that accidentally cause negative feelings is not trolling.

But communicating with the aim of bringing up negative feelings is my definition of trolling.

Some trolls, maybe most, don’t know they’re trolls. Some people feel unseen and ignored when they comment on social media. But they accidentally say something that’s just wrong enough that the whole discussion becomes about them. Suddenly, they feel noticed, and want more of that feeling. A troll is born.

Blocking trolls used to be what feels now like a quaint game of whack-a-troll. One pops up, you block. Then another appears. They were annoying, but more of a nuisance than a threat.

But now they’re a threat.

Rise of the trolls on social

On algorithmically driven social media sites like TikTok or Instagram, trolls are the winners of a global contest for attention. These range from the genre of “crazy food recipes,” where creators intentionally waste ingredients on disgusting meals to provoke angry reactions, to specific influencers like Winta Zesu, who constantly makes false claims to make viewers “stop, watch, and get mad.”

Over time, this kind of rage-bait has spilled out into the real world, with people doing bad stunts to post the videos and make people mad.

Popular streamer IShowSpeed made a viral moment on Instagram after a clip circulated of him harassing a Bangladeshi viewer during a live stream.

Another trend: Creators are recording themselves invading open Zoom meetings or webinars to disrupt them with pranks or absurd behavior, subsequently posting the reactions on TikTok.

What’s newish is that on several social platforms, trolls have evolved from nuisance to the successful winners of the attention game, often making millions of dollars.

Rise of the trolls in politics

In the attention economy, trolls have an advantage. Even in politics. Because most politicians operate in a left-right, liberal-conservative context, comments and claims designed to maximally anger the opposing side thrill your own side precisely because it angers the opposing side.

Those who engage in trolling get the spotlight, and those who don’t fall into obscurity and irrelevance.

During his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live in November 2016, shortly after Donald Trump was elected to his first presidential term, comedian Dave Chappelle called it: “America’s done it. We’ve actually elected an internet troll as our president.” In both elections, Trump didn’t get elected despite being a troll. He was elected because he’s a troll.

Trolls prevail everywhere

Forbes says Elon Musk is now worth $726.3 billion. He seems to be surging to become the world’s first trillionaire. And he’s also by far the biggest troll among CEOs and business leaders. He’s such a troll he bought Twitter in order to game the network to favor and prioritize his trolling.

Nation-states use bots and armies of online posters operating under multiple fake names and identities to troll. Some brands use trolling to gain attention for their products.

In short, the trolls have risen and taken over the world because the world incentivizes trolling.

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