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That's probably my buddy, don't bite ;) I would argue the case that facebook is not malicious and promote disinformation. If their algorithm promotes comments

That's probably my buddy, don't bite ;) I would argue the case that facebook is not malicious and promote disinformation. If their algorithm promotes comments that get lots of emojis and responses you would see the same behavior. I see it in many forums, the top comments are usually controversial. Now add to that fact that all sites rely on web traffic to make money and you get a systems of incentives that breeds discontent and divisiveness. On top of all that high speed visual medium, such as the internet, produce an emotional response with little time to rationally process information.

phs318u 7y ago
Dude, no offence to you, but your buddy sounds like a sociopathic asshole, and I say sociopathic because they surely have to know that their trolling is contributing to society-wide changes having really negative effects, yet they choose to do it anyway. Being "just one of a multitude" cheering on and enabling the grifters, sociopaths and wannabe tyrants - whatever the motivation - doesn't lessen their culpability.
- oldsklgdfth 7y ago
  None taken, I get where you are coming from. They are pretty cool dudes with a messed up sense of humor for sure. They are in their 50s and they started small and it's snowballed into this. Sample troll from many years: "Wisconsin is the worst city EVER"! Outrage comment thread ensues. I guess my take away is that don't take everything seriously, especially when it's coming from people you don't know. I'll use the same buddy's quote: "Life is too important to take seriously".
  - phs318u 7y ago
    I sense an undertone (in your friend's quote) of, "why should I care if people are too dumb to realise that someone is just trolling the?". Would that be a fair assessment? If so, that's pretty tragic. It means that people who aren't as smart/savvy/wise are fair-game. In a jungle that law holds true. So perhaps, this is humanity reverting to type. Personally, my hopes have always been that we would continue to build on ideas of society that flourished post enlightenment (oh the irony when people rabbit on about protecting "western values" by offering to subvert them). I guess, I can't see that it's possible to hope/work/strive for a better world, and be a troll. One is constructive, the other nihilistic at best and actively destructive at worst.
    - prawn 7y ago
      "It means that people who aren't as smart/savvy/wise are fair-game." Worst thing is it completely disrupts some of the best people who are completely genuine and take things at face value. It wouldn't surprise me if normally decent people have been quite corrupted by their experiences online with trolls and fakes and scams.
    - oldsklgdfth 7y ago
      Sometimes he argues things he believes and tries to make a point from silliness. Other times he's just a dick saying messed up things that he finds a funny. Either way he's just a guy flesh and bones and he doesn't say things online he doesn't say in person. He's just a dude at the end of the day. > Personally, my hopes have always been that we would continue to build on ideas of society that flourished post enlightenment I shared this view for quite some time. But rationality can only get you so far. So weird stuff can out of the enlightenment, i.e. fascism and communism, and they were underpinned by rational thought but were totally messed up. > One is constructive, the other nihilistic at best and actively destructive at worst. I'm not defending a troll here. I'm just saying don't attribute to malice that which you can explain with trolling. In that case, just silly trolling has the potential to destabilize a system, then it's not very robust. Also, I would say that this is only possible on the internet. Anyone can tell when someone is just messing around vs. trying to subvert people. It's the difference between being an asshole and trying to start a cult. On the internet, you can accidentally start a cult. In real life you cant. What does that say about the internet?
      - yesenadam 7y ago
        > I'm not defending a troll here. That's not the impression I got, at all. That's exactly what it seems you are doing, repeatedly, on this page. On top of it, you seem to be saying that if a troll does damage, it's the system's fault, not the troll's. > I'm just saying don't attribute to malice that which you can explain with trolling. In that case, just silly trolling has the potential to destabilize a system, then it's not very robust. Trolls are just cool dudes people take too seriously, you say. (That's those peoples' fault.) And if you do something with bad effects, you are excused if you thought it was funny. Why do you think trolling and acts of malice are two separate things?
  - danans 7y ago
    > They are in their 50s and they started small and it's snowballed into this. What's the force of nature that's pushing this snowball down the hill? Sounds like joy of hurting others, amplified by feedback and validation from like-minded people online.
    - oldsklgdfth 7y ago
      There's a lot of bored 50yos apparently.
      - danans 7y ago
        Most bored 50 year olds don't engage in trolling or other sociopathic pursuits. I suspect a considerable number are younger and older than 50. It's not about age. It's more about reveling in others' confusion and suffering, which might stem from their own experience of that. The frequency of that mindset and the networking of it through technology seems like our social disease.
        FeepingCreature 7y ago
        Yes surely only sociopaths snark. Clearly getting a rise from people is a unique problem of this century.
        state_less 7y ago
        If life didn’t turn out how you’d like, then it might feel good to see it not go well for another. These folks are hurting.
        danans 7y ago
        I agree. But if that's the case, trolling really isn't a joke, and recommendations to ignore it or not take it too seriously are misguided or disingenuous.
        state_less 7y ago

phs318u 7y ago

Dude, no offence to you, but your buddy sounds like a sociopathic asshole, and I say sociopathic because they surely have to know that their trolling is contributing to society-wide changes having really negative effects, yet they choose to do it anyway. Being "just one of a multitude" cheering on and enabling the grifters, sociopaths and wannabe tyrants - whatever the motivation - doesn't lessen their culpability.

oldsklgdfth 7y ago
None taken, I get where you are coming from. They are pretty cool dudes with a messed up sense of humor for sure. They are in their 50s and they started small and it's snowballed into this. Sample troll from many years: "Wisconsin is the worst city EVER"! Outrage comment thread ensues. I guess my take away is that don't take everything seriously, especially when it's coming from people you don't know. I'll use the same buddy's quote: "Life is too important to take seriously".
- phs318u 7y ago
  I sense an undertone (in your friend's quote) of, "why should I care if people are too dumb to realise that someone is just trolling the?". Would that be a fair assessment? If so, that's pretty tragic. It means that people who aren't as smart/savvy/wise are fair-game. In a jungle that law holds true. So perhaps, this is humanity reverting to type. Personally, my hopes have always been that we would continue to build on ideas of society that flourished post enlightenment (oh the irony when people rabbit on about protecting "western values" by offering to subvert them). I guess, I can't see that it's possible to hope/work/strive for a better world, and be a troll. One is constructive, the other nihilistic at best and actively destructive at worst.
  - prawn 7y ago
    "It means that people who aren't as smart/savvy/wise are fair-game." Worst thing is it completely disrupts some of the best people who are completely genuine and take things at face value. It wouldn't surprise me if normally decent people have been quite corrupted by their experiences online with trolls and fakes and scams.
  - oldsklgdfth 7y ago
    Sometimes he argues things he believes and tries to make a point from silliness. Other times he's just a dick saying messed up things that he finds a funny. Either way he's just a guy flesh and bones and he doesn't say things online he doesn't say in person. He's just a dude at the end of the day. > Personally, my hopes have always been that we would continue to build on ideas of society that flourished post enlightenment I shared this view for quite some time. But rationality can only get you so far. So weird stuff can out of the enlightenment, i.e. fascism and communism, and they were underpinned by rational thought but were totally messed up. > One is constructive, the other nihilistic at best and actively destructive at worst. I'm not defending a troll here. I'm just saying don't attribute to malice that which you can explain with trolling. In that case, just silly trolling has the potential to destabilize a system, then it's not very robust. Also, I would say that this is only possible on the internet. Anyone can tell when someone is just messing around vs. trying to subvert people. It's the difference between being an asshole and trying to start a cult. On the internet, you can accidentally start a cult. In real life you cant. What does that say about the internet?
    - yesenadam 7y ago
      > I'm not defending a troll here. That's not the impression I got, at all. That's exactly what it seems you are doing, repeatedly, on this page. On top of it, you seem to be saying that if a troll does damage, it's the system's fault, not the troll's. > I'm just saying don't attribute to malice that which you can explain with trolling. In that case, just silly trolling has the potential to destabilize a system, then it's not very robust. Trolls are just cool dudes people take too seriously, you say. (That's those peoples' fault.) And if you do something with bad effects, you are excused if you thought it was funny. Why do you think trolling and acts of malice are two separate things?
- danans 7y ago
  > They are in their 50s and they started small and it's snowballed into this. What's the force of nature that's pushing this snowball down the hill? Sounds like joy of hurting others, amplified by feedback and validation from like-minded people online.
  - oldsklgdfth 7y ago
    There's a lot of bored 50yos apparently.
    - danans 7y ago
      Most bored 50 year olds don't engage in trolling or other sociopathic pursuits. I suspect a considerable number are younger and older than 50. It's not about age. It's more about reveling in others' confusion and suffering, which might stem from their own experience of that. The frequency of that mindset and the networking of it through technology seems like our social disease.
      - FeepingCreature 7y ago
        Yes surely only sociopaths snark. Clearly getting a rise from people is a unique problem of this century.
      - state_less 7y ago
        If life didn’t turn out how you’d like, then it might feel good to see it not go well for another. These folks are hurting.
        danans 7y ago
        I agree. But if that's the case, trolling really isn't a joke, and recommendations to ignore it or not take it too seriously are misguided or disingenuous.
        state_less 7y ago