Trolling in public discourse: Online reactions to Malaysia’s abolishment of examinations

Abstract

This paper investigates trolling as a socio-discursive phenomenon within Malaysia’s public discourse on the abolishment of two national school examinations, namely the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR, abolished in 2021) and the Form Three Assessment (PT3, abolished in 2022). The study analyses 895 first-level Facebook comments to identify how trolling was used and to explore its rhetorical strategies and cultural significance. Through critical discourse analysis, five dominant trolling strategies were identified: provocation, exaggeration, hostility and ridicule, personal attacks, and humour. These strategies reveal the trolling’s dual role as both a disruptive force and a reflection of societal tensions surrounding governance, education, and cultural norms. The findings demonstrate how trolling amplifies collective anxieties and entrenches socio-cultural hierarchies, while simultaneously challenging institutional narratives and fostering affective solidarities among dissenters. Situating trolling within frameworks of digital populism, symbolic marginalisation, and affective publics, this paper highlights its capacity to articulate resistance while undermining deliberative dialogue. This study contributes to sociolinguistic scholarship by emphasising the cultural specificity and ideological dimensions of trolling, providing a nuanced understanding of its role in digital public engagement and policy contestation.