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Does the word "troll" necessarily imply negative connotations?



More specifically:

  • Urban Dictionary defines "Troll" as:



  • Online Slang Dictionary says:


  • Wikipedia defines:




So, my questions are:



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There was some relevant chat about the definition of trolling during March: March 20th, March 22nd – Matt E. Эллен Apr 2 '12 at 11:01
There's already enough information on that link to make it clear that all "normal" connotations for the modern Internet usage are "negative". I've known people who use "cnt" as a term of endearment, and for Mellors in *Lady Chatterley's Lover it obviously had positive connotations. Which is to say any word can feasibly be used with "non-standard implications" - but not everyone will accept this, and I don't see ELU should be concerned with what's effectively "voting" on marginal usages. – FumbleFingers Apr 2 '12 at 11:56
Connotations are in the eye of the beholder. – Sam Jan 1 '14 at 22:27

Definitely. You have all those links to prove it already.





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Troll is negative - unless you're fishing.

(Fishermen troll, but trolls phish).

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Argument is NOT inherently negative. Propositional Logic uses the term argument to describe the basic structure of any dispute. Where there is a dispute, there are contradicting ideas: arguments. Poorly explained, I know, search propositional logic. Disruption seems to also have a negative connotation, but let's not forget, "one man's hero is another man's tyrant". If a troll disrupts something like racism, or bullying, or corporate tyranny, your view of the action would pertain to the role you play. Think about it?

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Yes. But at the same time:

Trolling is now referred to as almost any conversation, even wider — almost any communicative action, so the word has completely lost the original meaning.

Troll is not an insult: usually people call trolls those who are better (at least slightly) fluent communication skills.

Initially, the trolls call people, capable and able to initiate, maintain, keep under control the public network communication process (i.e. the process consisting of the two opposing sides, and a passive listening audience; such processes are known from ancient times, but gained mass popularity only with the advent of the Internet) and using this process regularly to achieve their local goals.

In other words, trolling is one of tactical communication technologies, which includes a variety of manipulative methods of different levels.

The Troll, for example, was Gargantua in early childhood, with his famous jests, and ancient Greek speakers all as one had mastered the art of trolling, otherwise on the space of policies to do would be nothing.

Nowadays the term has largely degenerated, people began to call anybody a troll — and those who master only a controversial polemical trick like "... you", and even those who do not master any at all.

(from http://www.chaskor.ru/article/dmitrij_byalik_zhzh_-_shtuka_dovolno_bestselnaya_20904)

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