Re: [Air-L] Is there any published research on "trolling"?

My two cents: not only are trolls best dealt with by being ignored, there are times that they serve a useful function in disrupting groupthink, pile-ons, and so-called "epistemic closure". By contrast, they can also foment the opposite, in group solidarity and re-affirmation of views (it depends on how other folks deal with the trolls). I would count trolls as being an irritating, often awful, but nonetheless integral part of online ecology--a bit like mosquitoes or certain parasites.