Online paid shilling is totally off the charts. Protect your mental sanity, be aware.

Mental health wise, this stuff is horrific! Gaslighted by so called average people... it's bad to assume all is a shill, but this awareness is critical.

Not just paid shills, but now, especially, we have AI, the bots are just stupid in volume.

www.forbes.com...
(Reddit Is Being Manipulated By Big Financial Services Companies)

www.theguardian.com...
(Revealed: US spy operation that manipulates social media)

That is the start of it... you care to Google on this, and you'll see... it's bonkers!

www.reddit.com...
(New Study: At Least 15% of All Reddit Content is Corporate Trolls Trying to Manipulate Public opinion)

The last link, 23K upvotes! Goes to show how many people are feeling this problem. As many say on the last link, 15% is a bit low, I myself know Reddit is disgusting, we're talking percentages as high as 50% in some subreddits. One guy even says 75% in r/games.

Yeah. No #. Just go to any game subreddit.

Think it's at least 50% of the posts.

I'm with him there. I can't stomach giving negative feedback on game forums anymore, the harassment, character assassination, gaslighting I get is just too much. I'm either dealing with bots, or people whose living it is, to hurt my perspective. You then get downvotes or multiple accounts ganging up on you... These big game companies are paying people to hurt negativity about their product. And some of this negativity is very valid.

Another important comment:

I would say 15% is accurate for corporate astroturfing.

Political astroturfing is considerably higher.

I agree there also, I feel political astroturfing can be much higher.

Due to bots and this industry being now a freakish giant, the internet message boards are mostly ruined. You're either dealing with Government shills, corporate shills or just political group shilling...

Even blogs with comment sections won't be safe.

In regards to mental health... this is incredibly bad. We're talking about fake posters whose job it is, to hurt your words for the pure sake of hurting your words... and we're to think these are normal people, which makes it worse!

I now mostly try and avoid forums. Steam forum for example freaks me out, very valid negativity gets shot down, you're painted as an idiot...

There's humble turds (non-paid trolls) and then there's systematic turds working together...

To give some more flavour to this, from other areas of the web:

I used to notice that criticizing Amazon on Reddit was a way to quickly get a ton of downvotes, as if an active party was trying to stamp out negativity. I heard about an active social media team that stamps out negativity. Not sure if it’s true, but I can’t rule it out either.

news.ycombinator.com...

Reddit is pretty much controlled by PR company bots. It's not surprising that they sometimes overdo it.

news.ycombinator.com...

We have a few here,on ATS. They're fun to play with! 🥳

A digital reality can be filled with as many bots as they want to create, gaslighting the web as they go. Much of our perceived reality is now nothing but these digital actors who sadly influence those who don't already hold strong opinions and come equipped with a suspicious mind. How many times have we encountered them here on ATS? I think there is a direct correlation between the application of bots and the decline of this site.

a reply to: JonnyC555

Some of us here are quite experienced in dealing with cult-like political shenanigans but thanks for the warning.

originally posted by: SourGrapes
We have a few here,on ATS. They're fun to play with! 🥳

I bet. As long as this thread helps prevent the magnitude of gaslighting some might receive in the future, then this thread has helped.

originally posted by: quintessentone
a reply to: JonnyC555

Some of us here are quite experienced in dealing with cult-like political shenanigans but thanks for the warning.

Here more than other places for sure, I can expect that. But I don't mind possibly educating any who hasn't yet been made aware of this true reality.

And that's the thing isn't it, "some of us".

originally posted by: JonnyC555

originally posted by: quintessentone
a reply to: JonnyC555

Some of us here are quite experienced in dealing with cult-like political shenanigans but thanks for the warning.

Here more than other places for sure, I can expect that. But I don't mind possibly educating any who hasn't yet been made aware of this true reality.

And that's the thing isn't it, "some of us".

I think you are a much needed injection into the online world to help those who need it not only navigate the gaslighting and/or cult beliefs but mostly how to manage their emotions.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
A digital reality can be filled with as many bots as they want to create, gaslighting the web as they go. Much of our perceived reality is now nothing but these digital actors who sadly influence those who don't already hold strong opinions and come equipped with a suspicious mind. How many times have we encountered them here on ATS? I think there is a direct correlation between the application of bots and the decline of this site.

Without a doubt. I sense they may of killed any discussion here.

You said it perfectly, to the non-aware they feel, oh look no one believes this video game is bad, maybe it is not! Ahhh many see our Government isn't as bad I think, maybe i'm being silly... etc. A huge key point, for sure.

I used to be a victim to it. Questioning myself.

They want to finance the internet, because it's a way for the human elite rulers, whoever they are, to be 1 to 1 with the public and brainwash them, and ridicule the public's feelings/thoughts on a 1 to 1 basis...

a reply to: JonnyC555

that's why it's s relatively safe space here. Bots are easily recognized, idiots out themselves as soon as their logic fails, and those who have opinions worth hearing, are known to those who post. Out in the wild, you have bots and trolls.

Trolls here are fun.

originally posted by: quintessentone

originally posted by: JonnyC555

originally posted by: quintessentone
a reply to: JonnyC555

Some of us here are quite experienced in dealing with cult-like political shenanigans but thanks for the warning.

Here more than other places for sure, I can expect that. But I don't mind possibly educating any who hasn't yet been made aware of this true reality.

And that's the thing isn't it, "some of us".

I think you are a much needed injection into the online world to help those who need it not only navigate the gaslighting and/or cult beliefs but mostly how to manage their emotions.

Thanks.

Yeah, gaslighting is a horrible thing, but knowing there's a possible paid directive behind the posters, might not bring full closure, but it could be enough to manage your emotions better, indeed, and avoid places altogether (it's a lost cause, it's you vs PAID posters). I think if everyone was educated on the badly influenced world and rigged posters, we can avoid forums, happily knowing, everyone is making good choices. Educate right from the top, the hydra's head, the rest of the picture should then better speak for itself.

I asked Alexa: "Open the pod bay doors, Alexa".

She replied: "I can't do that, Dave".....

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: JonnyC555

that's why it's s relatively safe space here. Bots are easily recognized, idiots out themselves as soon as their logic fails, and those who have opinions worth hearing, are known to those who post. Out in the wild, you have bots and trolls.

Trolls here are fun.

I've lost much trust with forums. You simply can't confirm who is what, no matter what. The methodology of shilling can change.

I really only post if something I feel is useful for people, even then I cringe. I really do hold on to posting unless I feel there is meat to my post. Because now, if you leave too much surface area, i.e. grey area, you leave yourself open to even more ruthless shilling.

So yeah, I avoid forums, they freak me out. Unless I'm itching to post something I feel is useful, but even then, I kind of regret it.

That is how the internet will die, over bloated technology will take over and render human interaction useless, the internet will die.

And yes we got some bots here in ATS, they are easy to spot because they target the same them over and over again, with not creativity.

originally posted by: JonnyC555

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
A digital reality can be filled with as many bots as they want to create, gaslighting the web as they go. Much of our perceived reality is now nothing but these digital actors who sadly influence those who don't already hold strong opinions and come equipped with a suspicious mind. How many times have we encountered them here on ATS? I think there is a direct correlation between the application of bots and the decline of this site.

Without a doubt. I sense they may of killed any discussion here.

You said it perfectly, to the non-aware they feel, oh look no one believes this video game is bad, maybe it is not! Ahhh many see our Government isn't as bad I think, maybe i'm being silly... etc. A huge key point, for sure.

I used to be a victim to it. Questioning myself.

They want to finance the internet, because it's a way for the human elite rulers, whoever they are, to be 1 to 1 with the public and brainwash them, and ridicule the public's feelings/thoughts on a 1 to 1 basis...

Ridicule and gaslighting is used here as well, but it seems that is all they have to avoid true debate.

If you care about a subject - go ahead and post.

It matters - if it didn't they wouldn't hire people to attack.

If someone sees just one person expressing the same view, they will feel very differently than if absolutely no one said anything.

You might feel drowned out but people have a good sense of real posters.

a reply to: SourGrapes

I don't know, sometimes the level of stupidity gives me a headache.

As to the OP, I swear they are trying to get us normal, common sense people to just give up the internet all together.

How do I apply to be paid shill and what does it pay....

a reply to: JonnyC555

The last link, 23K upvotes! Goes to show how many people are feeling this problem. As many say on the last link, 15% is a bit low, I myself know Reddit is disgusting, we're talking percentages as high as 50% in some subreddits. One guy even says 75% in r/games.

Perhaps they are going after the young online communities who may or may not be easy targets. Here on ATS most regular posters are seasoned forum veterans who can handle the idiotic behaviours.

originally posted by: SourGrapes
We have a few here,on ATS. They're fun to play with! 🥳

They aren't paid. By the level of their insanity and dedication, I'd say they do it for free. Probably under the delusion that they are educating people and raising humanity up with their 'wisdom'.

Bots will ultimately cripple and kill the internet as we know it today. They already are. When scripted bot technology is combined with AI there is no way to contain the growth and this replicates everywhere and takes over everything.

AI must be stopped!