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

[Kyle Kontour]

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.