Except it's not their fault. At least, not entirely. Every single fucking centralized social platform tweaks its content algorithm to drive engagement, and they found that the best way was to piss you off. They shove it in your face until you can't help but say something to fight the unending flow of utter bullshit.
Block them or move to another platform. I block everyone on Facebook who feels the need to make negative comments, regardless of whether I expect to encounter them again. Really cleans up the place.
Sounds like a lack of emotional maturity.
Yeah, the landscape has changed a lot. People can also share on other platforms, sometimes live, showing their trolling. Poe's law is also a thing. I first got online in the BBS days and have been around basically every since. I quit mainstream SNS years ago, but it even finds its way here.
This happens on decentralized social media, too. Fedi dwellers are all so convinced that the trolls wouldn't have happened without intervention and man, is that not true.
Don't get me wrong, the corpos used that dynamic for profit, but they didn't invent it. Having been there before the algorithm, old forums, IRC and other protosocial spaces had very plump trolls, and so do federated, decentralized spaces when they reach critical mass.
I feel like back in the day trolling was more of an art where you'd say something stupid to expose someone's cognitive dissonance.
Now it just refers to people being dicks. Trolling itself has become enshittified.
In my days trolling used to mean something
the best trolls rarely spoke. one of the great troll artists of kongregate forums had only 50 comments yet left a lasting legacy
There is some good bait and people don't even care and even throw money at those people
But generally, it's as easy as shit to pick out the bait from real opinion 🎣
I think the default comment, even here, is "I disagree".
Folk have mistaken contraryism for discourse and argument for engagement.
Agreed. There are plenty of negative replies, but I sometimes feel the positive replies -- like giving thanks -- could be something more people could do.
hell yeah! i've been trying to embrace that IRL too, telling people when i'm enjoying my time with them, telling them when they have a great outfit, appreciating my friends, expressing gratitude for their friendship, even, though this is the hardest one, admitting when i'm wrong outloud
I'm so happy I was introduced to the 'net in the 90's - when the mantra was "don't believe everything you read on the internet."
It's too bad that fell out of vogue.
Maybe we’ve just changed what “the internet” is. Surely FaceHuggerBook is not the internet, that’s just a bunch of friends and family. I don’t trust the real internet
I'm not sure if you can call them trolls if they've sincerely lost their grip on reality, and are a significant voting block.
Really nobody in the thread is going to talk about Kremlin disinformation campaigns? That's absolutely part of it.
Most people think the propaganda has some content they want you to believe, but in reality the propaganda has to just keep us arguing and fighting all day instead of using the magic of the internet for cooperation and personal growth by learning about all kinds of stuff and liberating our minds.
Exactly, digital divide and conquer
I’m not convinced. I mean of course they’re doing it but it only needs to be tiny nudges here and there and someone will go off the deep end. We give the Kremlin too much credit for our own dysfunction
I kinda get it, but I also understand why it happens. People are outraged by how the world is being fucked up and they speak out. It's resistance to Idiocracy. They may be feeding trolls but saying nothing is ignorant compliance. So claiming it's their fault feels like victim blaming. Also, the amount of neuro diverse people is also growing. They, we, often don't understand sarcasm and trolling and take too much seriously. And are triggered by things meant to be a joke.
It's funny how I reply seriously on this post. It's like I'm inviting trolls to take me hard. I say: bring it! I brought lube.
There was a study done (can't find it anymore) that said to respond once to clarify and then walk away.
I wish I would be able to do that, but that goes entirely against my autism.
Yes, that’s why social media should I.) allow downvoting, ii.) use an algorithm that reduces the prominence of downvoted posts and iii.) actively remove bot accounts that attempt to game the voting system. Most social media do none of these things, and in fact push controversial takes.
It is definitely victim blaming. Op thinks no one will notice what they are doing.
The reason it was the mantra back then was because there was always at least a few new people and people who were just kind of dull that simply didn’t get it and needed such a thing constantly repeated
The trolls have organized, industrialized, and multiplied like cockroaches. They have also changed from a few phbb forum assholes posting to stir shit and bait people to agenda-driven agents of propaganda. They no longer subsist on lols from making people mad, they get paid money or tribal power.
Also, F the victim blaming that, what...? People should sit back and let the trolls have it all? The fault isn't with the individuals replying, it's with the service provider that willingly accepts and pushes such activity for profit and engagement.
Oh come on, don't feed this troll...
Lol yeah that's what I was thinking. This is one of those posts where op thinks no one will notice they are trying to prove a point.
Even back then, the largest a forum became the less likely it was for trolls to starve in it. What we're seeing is just the continuation of that.
This is a good point.
I think “old internet” culture was unsustainable as it scaled up, even without algos fanning the flames.
Everyone acting like this is a problem with algorithms or whatever. Nah, algorithms have nothing to do with it. Humans are just this stupid and will follow their desire to be "right" even if it leads them off a cliff. I mean, Lemmy loves feeding trolls. No one on Lemmy seems to understand the concept of "block and move on" (not that I'm totally guilt-free, I love feeding trolls for the same reason I love feeding campfires).
No one on Lemmy will just ignore the trolls. Quite honestly, I'm wondering if the Internet should adopt a new strategy: mock the troll-feeders. If you catch someone engaging with a troll, you start making fun of them for feeding it. Make it clear that's why you're mocking them. Then maybe they'll grow a brain and stop feeding them (except intentionally, because that's honestly kinda fun sometimes).
The block button is amazing.
It's because rich powerful people have realised that if you feed the trolls you can get them to do things.
