The End of the Trolls?

It seems that it is not difficult to put the case that government and other professional agents are behind a lot of the infuriating internet Trolling. Perhaps there are reasonable explanations for this destructive activity? If so, why not give them?

Here is my cartoons angle on that.

a reply to: Jed Stuart

I have held that as discussion forums on the net began, there has been any number of human sciences that have been studying them. Even without a Machiavellian agenda, the presence of those who use these forums as experiments in human interaction has proliferated. Once the basic science of control and response via the internet had become predictable, the true manipulators stepped in and have taken over.

Take a peek at this crap from GCHQ...

77th Troll Brigade (5mb PDF document)
 

originally posted by: Jed Stuart
It seems that it is not difficult to put the case that government and other professional agents are behind a lot of the infuriating internet Trolling. Perhaps there are reasonable explanations for this destructive activity? If so, why not give them?

It's the same reason things are hidden from the public. There are things that the government, corporations, rich individuals, etc etc do not want the public to know about. When they can't outright control the internet and remove whatever they don't want people seeing, the next best thing is to manipulate everyone who is viewing the conversation. Let's say Monsanto decides to pay a bunch of people to monitor various popular websites such as ATS for threads relating to their company. One day a thread pops up talking about Monsanto in a negative light; now the paid trolls fly into action. Some of them praise Monsanto as God's gift to the world, some of them derail the conversation, some of them try to get the thread shut down, and some of them attack and insult members who speak negatively of the company. There are many tactics, but it accomplishes the same thing as total control. In some cases, it may even have a better effect than would total censorship.

Look at North Korea, for example. Everything the population sees is STRICTLY enforced. Now let's say that somehow a national law was passed making it legal for people to discuss whatever they wanted and share their opinions, whatever those may be. The government is no longer allowed to censor everything or punish people for their thoughts. So what's the next step? Have people working for the government who monitor everything and steer every conversation in the directions the government wants said conversations to go.
-It happens.-

a reply to: Jed Stuart

It seems that it is not difficult to put the case that government and other professional agents are behind a lot of the infuriating internet Trolling. Perhaps there are reasonable explanations for this destructive activity? If so, why not give them?

I can assure you that I have never been compensated for my services. No Gov, no psyops, just fun(ny)

However I rarely troll on ATS, or online for that matter. I usually save it for people who approach me face to face and try to push some agenda. Mormons, PETA, etc.

originally posted by: Jed Stuart
Perhaps there are reasonable explanations for this destructive activity? If so, why not give them?

My mundane theory is that when kids interact in real life they quickly learn that their actions have consequences and develop empathy. ex.: I push you down on the playground and you cry and bleed and then I feel bad... I learn not to repeat that behavior (or you kick my butt and I learn not to treat people badly because I don't like being beat up).

On the internet kids can say terrible things and interact socially but can see the consequences differently as they are not developing empathy in the same way (as they don't share their victims pain in the same way they would face-to-face. ie.: they don't have to see the consequences of their actions).

I could be very wrong, it's just my personal theory...

a reply to: Jed Stuart

Funny and true

Funny and true...

originally posted by: trollz

originally posted by: Jed Stuart
It seems that it is not difficult to put the case that government and other professional agents are behind a lot of the infuriating internet Trolling. Perhaps there are reasonable explanations for this destructive activity? If so, why not give them?

It's the same reason things are hidden from the public. There are things that the government, corporations, rich individuals, etc etc do not want the public to know about. When they can't outright control the internet and remove whatever they don't want people seeing, the next best thing is to manipulate everyone who is viewing the conversation.

-It happens.-

That could be the main reason for it. We do seem to get some forums clearer of Trolls by more active moderation. Perhaps we need to be looking at moderator trainings and more payment. In my experience moderators often have come and gone and some Trolls end up moderating internet forums, or they are set up by Troll types. I have been blocked from joining some forums even with no reason given. Not saying anything about ATS in that. The thing we also need to worry about then is if we do get the Trolls out of the way, what are they going to do next to stop free information sharing?