Abstract
The present study aimed to observe the relationships between online trolling, exposure to antisocial online content, frequency of social media use, and gender, using the GAM as a theoretical framework. Four hundred twenty-nine Brazilian internet users (mean = 25.07 years; SD = 7.59; EP = 0.36), most of whom were women (71.8%), participated in the survey. Bivariate correlations indicated a positive relationship between online trolling, exposure to antisocial online content (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), Facebook use (r = 0.21; p < 0.01), Twitter Use (r = 0.12; p < 0.01), and gender (r = 0.15; p < 0.01). An explanatory model including these variables was tested, and obtained a significant model fit (GFI = 0.99; Comparative Fit-Index = 0.99; Tucker Lewis Index = 0.97; Root Mean Square Residual = 0.02; RMSEA = 0.02 | CI = 0 .01–0.07 |). Were also observed indirect effects for exposure to antisocial online content through Twitter use and Facebook use on trolling (λ = 0.03; CI = 0.01–0.05; p < 0.05). It is possible to conclude that the research objectives were fulfilled, emphasizing the role of situational variables in the understanding of online trolling.
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