ASSOCIATIVE FIELD OF TROLLING: PSYCHOLINGUISTIC ASPECT

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of trolling as a socio-psychological phenomenon from the perspective of psycholinguistics.The relevance of the study of the associative field of trolling is determined by several key factors that reflect modern trends in communication and society: the prevalence of this phenomenon in the online space, the psychological impact of trolling on communicators, the definition of specific linguistic characteristics, and the improvement of media literacy of users.On the basis of reaction words obtained as a result of the experiment, an analysis of the associative field of trolling was carried out, its key components and their relationships were identified. The characteristics of trolling behavior are considered, in particular, the use of provocative and offensive words, manipulation of information, anonymity and the use of pseudonyms, the use of Internet memes and viral content. The psychological mechanisms underlying trolling and its impact on victims have been studied. The main motives of trolls and their behavior strategies are determined. The social factors contributing to the spread of trolling on the Internet are named.The article analyzes an associative experiment that made it possible to identify frequency reactions to the word trolling, reflecting the peculiarities of the perception of this concept by different respondents. The results of the free associative experiment made it possible to form the associative field of the analyzed word and to single out the thematic dominants of the reaction field, which are significant for the interviewees. The frequency of each association was calculated, the most frequent associations were determined, and the associations were ranked. The grouping of associations by semantic categories (in particular, emotions, actions, persons, places) made it possible to determine the semantic connections between associations, revealed the emotional coloring of associations, and established the key features of the concept of trolling based on associations. Formulation of core markers reflecting key characteristics of trolling, represented by words and phrases. As a result of this experiment, the relationship between the individual, language and the world was established, which is realized through linguistic means and reflects the understanding of the world, its conceptualization, as well as the communicative strategies of the communicators' behavior.