We are shocked when we hear about dreadful abuse carried out by internet trolls and often stunned to find out they are ordinary people.
Psychologists have been studying this growing problem for a few years and there are some key things at the root of the problem.
The first is bullying. Bullies create bullies.
Often a bully is someone who has been bullied themselves and gets some kind of release by attacking others.
But what about people who weren’t bullied as children?
Scientists have found two main issues. The first is that long-term use of the web reduces feelings for others.
This was uncovered in an experiment where people were shown online pictures of injured people as they were close to death.
At first, people felt sorry for the victims. But as they were shown more and more pictures, they became less concerned.
The second common problem is deindividuation.
This is when you become less aware of yourself and others as people.
Screens provide a barrier, so we don’t see what we are doing online as human – and that makes it easier to behave badly.
It also means that trolls think they are joking when in fact it is abuse.
But we’re not laughing.