Sense of power and online trolling among college students: Mediating effects of self-esteem and moral disengagement

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between the sense of power and online trolling among college students and the role of self-esteem and moral disengagement in that relationship. Participants were 1 268 college students (females = 61.6%, mean age = 19.94, SD = 2.07 years). The students completed the Sense of Power Scale, the Self-esteem Scale, the Chinese Version of the Moral Disengagement Scale and the Global Assessment of Internet Trolling. The results from the regression analysis and the mediation effect showed that students with a higher sense of power were less likely to engage in online trolling. Moral disengagement mediated the relationship between a sense of power and online trolling to be higher in trolling. The chain mediating effect of self-esteem and moral disengagement between the sense of power and online trolling was significant, so students with a low sense of power also had lower self-esteem and higher moral disengagement. These findings are consistent with structural power theory, which contends that people with a low sense of power do not regard moral standards and are more likely to engage in online trolling.