That's because the game is bullshit. WTF? Wasn't that the whole point of Angelfire? Wordpress? Myspace? We aren't talking about "ZOMG let's keep people from posting their own content." We're talking about comments trolls here. And the reason everyone is freaking out is Gawker doesn't make any money off your Geocities page. Your comments? Oh yeah. That they monetize. So the problem everyone is wringing their hands over is the fact that they've built a business model in which they demand interaction from their audience (Like! Retweet! Submit to the fucking general's mortarboard of social sites!) ...but many times the audience is antisocial, hates you, and has nothing worthwhile to say. Nobody in this article gives the first fuck about what "trolls" are saying off on their own pages amongst their own people in their own environment. Everyone is twitterpated that those mooing cattle that justify their CPM occasionally stampede and gore people. PROTIP: get out of ranching. The world will be a better place for it.But Dr. Phillips, of Humboldt State, pointed out that many efforts to curb trolling ran into a larger problem: “To what extent do you want to make it harder for people to express themselves on the Internet?” she asked.
A lot of what trolls do seem like they could be stopped, at least in some instances, by more effective moderation techniques.
How well do hubski's moderation tools work in this regard? I've only been popping in and out for about a year and a half or so, but from what I've seen, filter, mute, and hush seem to do a pretty good job of handling jerks and people who only use the site as a means of self-promotion. Has hubski ever faced an onslaught of trolls or the like?
Hubski has no moderation tools in the traditional sense. Yes, Hubski faces waves of trolls. Because the design of the system allows individual readers to control their experience, trolling is largely ineffective. Because it's a small, tight-knit community, however, individual account policing is always accompanied by several days of public hand-wringing. Which, really, is appropriate.
The trolls are like noncoding DNA. Trolling probably has a function or is an adaptation ... we just haven't found it yet.
Which is exactly why this "war" is a moot point. Just like in real life, idiocy and hatred surround us. Why should social media be any different? Life is full of trolls, just take solace your own isn't so devoid and be happy.
I think it's a false assumption to think that trolls' lives are devoid or that they don't appear like normal folks to the rest of us. There are some people I know where the major difference between them and a troll is that I agree with them- their arguments are just as forceful, they won't be deterred from their points, and insults fall off their backs. I've also heard or read anecdotes about people who discover, with horror, that their significant others are also significant trolls. I think one can be a very successful troll online without necessarily having it impact their meatspace life in a way that most people notice. I also think that social media is different because it allows instant and mass ganging-up-on. In real life if I'm an idiot I can't snap my fingers and whip up an overwhelming chorus of friends and strangers who agree with me and also echo my methods - and let's not delude ourselves here, the troll method of instructing people to commit suicide, or getting mass numbers to pass on death threats, threaten ones loved ones, or dox someone, has absolutely no meatspace face to face parallel especially en masse as we have all seen it occur online. Life is full of idiots when one is face to face. Online, life can become a veritable deluge of strangers threatening and harassing a single person in such a way that that person may very reasonably fear for their life or the safety of toes they love. Trolls OR idiots irl /= trolls online.
You're absolutely right. I'm naive to put myself in their shoes and say "Let it go." To suddenly have an army of strangers attacking me mentally or, Gods forbid, physically would be overwhelmingly terrifying. But I also believe that the majority of these antagonizers are rotten no matter how they appear in "meatspace." (Love that term by the way!) I guess I'm just speaking for myself. There are some scary bastards out there I have no doubt.