Trolling on Tinder® (and other dating apps) : examining the role of the Dark Tetrad and impulsivity

Evita March, Rachel Grieve, Jessica Marrington, Peter K. Jonason

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

130 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

No longer conceptualised as only for the “desperate”, online dating offers many benefits over face-to-face dating. Accompanying the benefits of online dating is the potential for new, distinct forms of antisocial behaviour online, such as trolling. The current study (N = 357) sought to explore the antisocial behaviour of trolling on Location-Based Real-Time Dating applications (i.e., LBRTD apps) in an online sample of Australians sourced from the community. Specifically, we examined the role of participant's sex and of the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism, and impulsivity in predicting perpetration of trolling behaviours on LBRTD apps. Although there were no sex differences, the traits of psychopathy, sadism, and dysfunctional impulsivity were significantly associated with trolling behaviours. Subsequent moderation analysis revealed that dysfunctional impulsivity predicts perpetration of trolling, but only if the individual has medium or high levels of trait psychopathy. Results of the current study aid in further conceptualising the personality of the Internet “troll”. Future research should further explore antisocial online behaviours, such as other hostile behaviour that occurs on LBRTD apps.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)139-143
Number of pages5
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume110
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Dark Tetrad
  • Internet
  • online dating

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Trolling on Tinder® (and other dating apps) : examining the role of the Dark Tetrad and impulsivity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this