Organisational Victims' Responses to Trolling: Effects on Bystander Hostile Emotions and Positive Engagement

Abstract

Online trolling, a unique form of consumer deviance targeting organisations, can cause significant harm, yet the role of bystanders in supporting victimised organisations remains underexplored. The current research examines how organisational responses to trolling (non-response, negative response, and positive response) and trolling types (sadistic, moral) influence bystander engagement in support of organisational victims. Furthermore, the research considers whether bystander engagement may be explained via the hostility triad, a set of negative emotions (anger, disgust, and contempt) that are triggered due to social norm violations. In three experimental studies involving a total of 1126 participants, with hypotheses grounded in prior literature and the affect infusion model (AIM), this research establishes that an organisation's non-response leads to greater bystander engagement, particularly in cases of sadistic trolls. Further, it demonstrates that this relationship is explained and mediated by anger, contempt and disgust. The results also provide evidence of bystander engagement being positive in supporting the organisation, as opposed to negative and attacking the troller. These findings are discussed in relation to their theoretical implications and practical insights.