The article is devoted to a special type of speech behavior known as trolling. It is noted that trolling arises as a response to changes in media operations and from anonymous network communication turns into the speech practice actively used by traditional media. In terms of intention, trolling can be characterized as a selfaffirmation destroying communication, a tough correction on the part of polemists wishing to distract the conversation away from the subject of controversy or a suggestion to have fun and remove stress. In terms of structure, trolling in dialogic speech is a metatextual stimulating remark that does not require an answer and in monologic written speech it is a special way of conducting the author’s verbal role. The linguistic prerequisites for trolling are: multi-style variation of language means, polysemy which leads to creating alogisms, stylistic contrasts; in oral speech: shouting the opponent down, a displacement of semantic accents in someone’s speech by intonation emphasis or by repetition of the opponent’s words. The following semantic forms of trolling are identified: rudeness, mockery, sarcasm, or snickering, poking fun at the speaker, making play with ambiguities, uncertainty and absolute nonsense in someone’s speech.
