I don't think that trolls are something that comes up often in real life. I can't imagine people acting like that in person unless they were middle schoolers. For example when I played soccer with people in real life I never had people tell me that I suck and to kill myself but people do it all the time in some video games.

I'd say it's very improbable to starve trolls by not giving them attention. So long as the community is receiving new members and the new members aren't acquainted with it all works, there will always be someone there to feed the troll. Think of it as a corollary to the Eternal September.

That being said, I think there are people post garbage regardless whether they're given attention or not. Kinda like the people who carve dicks and swastikas at bathroom stalls.

The barrier to entry for online harassment is so much lower that I don't consider them comparable.

When was the last time you had a load of people tell you to kill yourself in person?