Etymology

Origin and etymology
There are competing theories of where and when "troll" was first used in Internet slang, with numerous unattested accounts of BBS and UseNet origins in the early 1980s or before.

There ya go Boff👍🏻😊. Tip-try the internet first it’s very helpful. If you struggle with the internet then ask children/grandchildren to assist. Happy to help👍🏻😊

The verb to troll comes from the Old French hunting term "troller.". In Merriam-Webster, the English verb to troll refers to the act of slowly dragging a lure while fishing as bait.

Internet Trolling means "fishing" and refers to intentionally misleading posts created with the purpose of eliciting negative response from other users.

A person who recognizes the troll after having responded would often refer to himself as a caught fish.

Early Usage
The contemporary use of the term is alleged to have appeared on the Internet in the late 1980s, but the earliest known mention of the word "troll" on record can be found in a post on the Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban from December 14th, 1992. The term continued to grow popular in the early 1990s through its usage in the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban and by the late 1990s, the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup had such heavy traffic and participation that acts of trolling became frowned upon. Prior to the widespread use of the term "trolling," similar behaviors have been observed through "griefing," the act of intentionally causing distress to other players in an online game, since the days of Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) in the late 1980s and "flaming," the act of instigating hostility or unpleasant exchanges in online forums, which also emerged through Usenet newsgroup discussions.

The Rules of the Internet
The Rules of the Internet a list of protocols and conventions, originally written to serve as a guide for those who identified themselves with the Internet group Anonymous. By looking at the Rules of the Internet, one can understand the patterns of behaviors behind anonymous trolls:

Rules 8 and 9 describe the free-for-all environment of anonymous interactions on 4chan:
8.There are no real rules about posting.
9.There are no real rules about moderation either – enjoy your ban.

Rules 11-15 describe exactly what one can expect when confronting a troll:
11.All your carefully picked arguments can easily be ignored.
12.Anything you say can and will be used against you.
13.Anything you say can be turned into something else – fixed.
14.Do not argue with trolls – it means that they win.
15.The harder you try the harder you will fail.

Rules 18 and 19 reinforce the presence of trolls and the nihilism behind the trolling behavior:
18.Everything that can be labeled can be hated.
19.The more you hate it the stronger it gets.

Rule 20 is perhaps the most important rule of all and best defense against trolls:
Rule 20. Nothing is to be taken seriously!

Rule 39 is an example of some good-natured trolling. The annoyance caused by CAPSLOCK is widely recognized, so to say that it is “cruise control for cool” is one of the few instances that sarcasm is able to carry over to text without much effort:
39. CAPSLOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

Rule 42 and 43 are statements that apply not only to the motivation behind trolls, but also to a warped sense of catharsis that some have experienced through observing trolls:
42.Nothing is Sacred
43.The more beautiful and pure a thing is – the more satisfying it is to corrupt it.

Trollface
Trollface is a black and white drawing of a face with a large mischievous grin that is meant to portray the expression someone makes while trolling. Posting a Trollface image into a forum thread is often used to claim that someone was being fooled or intentionally angered. The face commonly appears in rage comic indicating that the character is being mischievous in some way. The original drawing was created by deviantArt user Whynne on September 19th, 2008 to illustrate the pointless nature of trolling on 4chan’s /v/ (videogames) board.

Online Usage

Trolling is most commonly associated with online discussions where users are subjected to offensive or superfluous posts and messages in order to provoke a response. Numerous forums and Usenet boards are dedicated to the fine art of what the New York Times called "manipulating other people's emotional equilibrium." Trolling can be considered a form of cyberbullying and. For more information, Wikipedia offers a consistently updated summary of research behind the human motivation to troll.

Griefing
Griefing is the act of intentionally causing distress to other players in an online game. The tactics used to cause grief vary depending on which game is being played. Griefers sometimes record their victim’s reactions and upload the videos onto YouTube.

Flaming

Flaming, though not strictly limited to intentional acts of trolling, is another popular method of instigating hostility or unpleasant exchanges in online discussions by bringing up incendiary subject topics like the September 11th attacks, Religion, Politics and Sexism. Early incidents of trolling were considered to be the same as flaming, but this has changed with modern usage by the news media to refer to the creation of any content that targets another person.

Raiding

Raiding, or the act of coordinating a group assault on a massive scale, is a popular choice of method for Internet trolls, especially those associated with Anonymous on 4chan. Prime examples include Tom Green's Call-in Talk Show Raid, Habbo Hotel Raid, Operation YouTube, Club Penguin Raid, Put Shoe On Head and Ventrillo Harassment among others.

Shock Trolling

Shock trolling is a common tactic practiced by exposing the targeted victim to disturbing or shocking content, such as materials from shock sites, horror or pornographic images, in order to provoke a strong reaction. To an extent, shock value trolling has been demonstrated in real life as practical jokes like The Scary Maze Game and Scary Prank Reaction Videos.

Bait and Switching

Bait-and-Switch is a common tactic associated with online fraud and practical humor that involves falsely advertising a hyperlink as a destination of interest, when in fact, it leads to something that is irrelevant or undesirable.

Misleading Hyperlinks
Some of the most commonly linked destinations in bait-and-switch trolling include The Hampster Dance, Duckroll, Rickroll, Trololol, Nigel Thornberry Remix and Epic Sax Guy. The method is also widely used as an online prank wherein links to shock sites and media are falsely advertised as news or information that is in high demand.

An Example of a Rickroll Hyperlink (click through for more info)

Copypasta Stories
On 4chan, bait-and-switch trolling has also demonstrated its use as a plot device in greentext stories, copypastas and creepypastas, in which the OP begins by telling a story that seems believable enough to be autobiographical or confessional, but as the narrative progresses, it is brought to a sudden and anti-climactic end with an excerpt of a widely recognized quote or pop song lyrics. Some of the most notable examples include Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Spaghetti Stories, Tree Fiddy and Burst into Treats among others.

Advice Trolling

Advice Trolling is yet another common method used to mislead people by offering dubious or sometimes malicious advices, especially to newbies who are less experienced and more gullible than others. Prime examples include Download More RAM, Delete System 32 and Alt + F4.

Newbie Trolling

As its name suggests, newbie trolling, is the act of instilling hostility and annoyance by posing as an inexperienced newcomer and posting redundant questions to solicit reactions from those who're more experienced and genuinely willing to help. The tried-and-true practice of "playing dumb" has been also observed in the form of grammar trolling, which entails intentionally misspelling a word or a phrase in order to solicit reactions or corrections from those unable to tolerate faulty grammar, sometimes known as Grammar Nazis.

Snipe Hunting

Snipe Hunting, also known as "a fool's errand," is yet another popular type of trolling that involves tricking newbies into go on a search for something that does not exist. Some examples include Headlight Fluid, Gold Membership Trolling, Battletoads Preorder and Download More RAM among others.

Concern Trolling

Concern trolling is the practice of initiating a false flag debate by assuming the exact opposite point of view as the one actually held by the speaker. The purpose of concern trolling is to instill confusion and doubt within the targeted group by raising issues under the pretext that the speaker empathizes with the said group.

Great post, CJ. I’ve employed rule 14 at least twice today.

Yep, I found the 'Rules of the Internet' very interesting. 11 to 15 were so fitting.👍🏻😄

Grandma called me that, preceded by ‘little’, well before Her time was Grandma👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻😊