Even trolls sleep sometimes

Troll

• noun (in folklore): an ugly creature depicted as a giant or dwarf.
• verb (fishing): a fisherman luring fish by pulling bait behind a boat in motion.
• verb (on the internet): to provoke (other) people online by deliberately posting inflammatory, inappropriate or offensive comments or other disruptive content.

Although the original origin of these creatures comes from ancient lore, the modern root of the online slang “trolling” was borrowed from a technique in fishing, which itself was later borrowed by military pilots during the Korean War. The type of operations where “trolling” of MiGs was applied as a tactic to lure the enemy into responding to false targets. Here the pilots play the role of “decoy,” hoping the attackers will take the bait and reveal themselves.

“Even trolls sleep sometimes” is an art piece consisting of over 288:05:65 hours of chat archives from the Russian Troll Foundation online community Telegram channel. This period captures a time when personal information from a coordinated attack on the author (doxing) was actively being spread, possibly based on a leak from the GP system. Thus, “human flesh search engines” (人肉搜索) were mobilized to seek out and divulge personal data in order to accumulate coercive dependence through fear and intimidation. In this community, much like the KGB tradition of collecting and disseminating kompromats, threats, and gaining credibility through fear, mutual provocations reign as the engine of communication and “brotherhood.” But not through propaganda information that confirms a given point of view, but rather by setting camouflaged targets in front of people who have been actively riled up.

The piece was originally conceived as “art in the form of provocation” and was meant to be just that, a live provocation to a given group. This turned out to be impossible, as the group itself had already degraded to the point where the only people posting in it were bots spamming RIA Novosti and prophylactically provocative scat porn performed by Africans (apparently a favorite “pastime” of the group’s members from its inception).

“Even trolls sleep sometimes” is a meditation not only on targeted attacks on individuals, but - more importantly - on the function of online networks and hate bubbles, borrowing techniques from the shadowy operations of multiple secret services of the recent past.

From state troll farms on Savushkin Street to student chat groups, in his own eyes the troll is a trickster playing to a nameless audience on the web, and the product of his activity are always discord.

As part of „Her poisonous doubles: Watch Your Feed!“ at Goethe-Institut

Accompanying events

Discussion „The Truth and Its Poisonous Doubles“ 14.04.2025 | Goethe-Institut Bulgaria