You’ve seen it happen a thousand times. A controversial figure gets banned from a platform, or a specific community is nuked for violating terms of service. For a minute, the internet feels a little bit quieter. Then, like a bad horror movie sequel, trolls get up again. They find new homes, new handles, and often, a renewed sense of grievance that makes them even louder than before.
It’s frustrating.
Dealing with online vitriol isn’t just about "ignoring the bullies" anymore. In 2026, the mechanics of how people behave online have shifted. We aren’t just looking at bored teenagers in basements. We are looking at coordinated efforts, algorithmic loopholes, and a psychological phenomenon where digital exile actually reinforces the behavior it was meant to stop. Honestly, the more we try to squash the behavior without understanding the "why," the faster those trolls get up again.
The Hydra Effect: Why Deplatforming Isn't a Permanent Fix
When Twitter—now X—or Meta removes a high-profile provocateur, the immediate result is usually a massive drop in that person's reach. This is a fact backed by research from institutions like the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. But reach isn't the same as existence.
What actually happens is a migration.
Think of it like water. If you block one pipe, the pressure builds until it finds a leak elsewhere. Many of these users move to "alt-tech" platforms like Telegram, Rumble, or niche forums where the moderation is non-existent. In these echo chambers, their views aren't challenged; they're codified. They become martyrs in their own narrative. When trolls get up again on these smaller platforms, they often return to the mainstream via "sockpuppet" accounts—disposable profiles used to bypass bans.
It’s a game of whack-a-mole. It’s exhausting for moderators. It’s even worse for the targets.
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The persistence of these groups often stems from a sense of community. For many, trolling isn't just a hobby; it’s an identity. If you take away their stage, they don't just go, "Oh well, guess I'll go take up knitting." They double down. They find workarounds. They use VPNs to mask their location and AI-generated avatars to look like real people.
The Dopamine Loop of Provocation
Why do they keep coming back? It’s basically chemistry.
Every time a troll gets a rise out of someone, their brain gets a hit of dopamine. Negative attention is still attention. Research into the "Dark Tetrad" of personality traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism—shows a high correlation with habitual trolling. For someone who fits this profile, the act of "getting up again" after a ban is part of the thrill. It’s a challenge. It’s a way to prove they are smarter than the systems designed to keep them out.
How Algorithmic Incentives Make Trolls Get Up Again
Let's talk about the math behind your feed. Algorithms are designed for engagement. Period. They don't have a moral compass; they have a "keep the user on the screen" compass.
Anger is the most "engaging" emotion.
A study from Yale University found that social media platforms act like digital "outage machines." If a troll posts something inflammatory, and you reply to tell them why they're wrong, you just helped them. You signaled to the algorithm that this post is "important." Now, more people see it. When the troll sees their engagement numbers climb, they feel validated. Even if they get banned, they know the formula works. This is precisely why trolls get up again—the system is literally built to reward the loudest, most divisive voices.
The Rise of "Rage-Baiting" as a Business Model
It isn't just individuals anymore. Entire content farms now use rage as a metric. They know that if they post a factually incorrect or offensive take, the "correction" comments will skyrocket. This is business.
- They create an account.
- They post something egregious.
- They get 50,000 shares from people "dunking" on them.
- The account gets banned.
- They make a new one and do it again.
This cycle is why it feels like you're seeing the same arguments every single day. The faces change, but the script stays the same.
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The Psychological Toll on the Target
We shouldn't gloss over the human cost here. When we say trolls get up again, we are talking about real people being harassed. This isn't just "mean words." It’s doxxing. It’s swatting. It’s the systematic attempt to silence voices, usually those of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Cyberbullying experts like Dr. Sameer Hinduja have noted that the "persistence" of online harassment is what leads to long-term trauma. If a harasser is banned but immediately returns under a different name to continue the thread, the victim feels there is no escape. The digital world doesn't have a "restraining order" that actually works across platforms.
The feeling of helplessness is the point. The troll wants to show you that they are inevitable. They want you to delete your account and disappear.
Strategies That Actually Work (Sorta)
If banning doesn't stop them, what does? There isn't a silver bullet, but there are ways to mitigate the damage.
Shadowbanning and "Hellbanning": Some platforms have moved away from hard bans toward shadowbanning. This is where the troll can still post, but nobody sees it. They think they're being heard, so they don't feel the need to create a new account. They’re shouting into a void, and the void isn't shouting back. It’s surprisingly effective because it removes the "martyr" incentive.
Community Self-Moderation: Look at how Reddit handled some of its most toxic subreddits. It wasn't just about deleting the sub; it was about changing the culture of the site. When the community itself rejects the behavior, it’s much harder for a troll to find a foothold.
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Friction: Making it harder to create an account. Requiring phone number verification or a certain "account age" before posting can slow down the rate at which trolls get up again. It doesn't stop the dedicated ones, but it weeds out the casual annoyances.
Internalizing the "Grey Rock" Method: In psychology, "Grey Rocking" is a technique used to deal with narcissists. You become as uninteresting as a grey rock. No reaction. No anger. No "dunking." When you take away the emotional payload, the troll gets bored and moves on to an easier target. It’s hard to do because our instinct is to fight back, but fighting back is the fuel they need.
The Future of the Fight
As we move deeper into 2026, AI is becoming a double-edged sword. On one hand, automated moderation can catch harassment faster than any human. It can recognize patterns in "ban evasion" accounts and shut them down before they even make their first post. On the other hand, trolls are using AI to generate thousands of unique comments, making it look like a "grassroots" movement instead of a single person with a grudge.
We have to accept that the internet is never going to be 100% "safe." It’s an open forum, and open forums are messy. But understanding that trolls get up again because of a mix of psychological needs, algorithmic rewards, and platform failures is the first step in not letting them win.
Stop giving them the oxygen.
If you see a post that is clearly designed to make you angry, don't quote-tweet it. Don't reply with a clever comeback. Block, report, and move on. It feels passive, but in a world where attention is the only currency that matters, refusing to pay is the ultimate power move.
Actionable Insights for Moving Forward
- Audit your digital footprint: Use tools to see where your information is public. Trolls use this data to harass you off-platform.
- Use "Mute" more than "Block": On some platforms, blocking a troll lets them know they "got to you." Muting them allows you to never see their nonsense while they keep screaming into a vacuum, unaware they've been silenced.
- Support platform accountability: Push for regulations that hold social media companies responsible for providing better tools for victims of organized harassment.
- Practice digital hygiene: Don't engage with "rage-bait." If an account looks like it was made yesterday and has 0 followers, it’s probably a sockpuppet. Don't give it the time of day.
- Build private communities: More people are moving toward Discord, Slack, or private WhatsApp groups to avoid the public square entirely. Sometimes, the best way to handle the fact that trolls get up again is to just not be in the room when they do.