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Everything cited in this article can be grouped under the umbrella of 'manipulation of public opinion'. The tactics used have been analyzed and grouped similar

Everything cited in this article can be grouped under the umbrella of 'manipulation of public opinion'. The tactics used have been analyzed and grouped similarly before, for example there was the late 1930s Institute of Propaganda Analysis which produced some publications grouping propaganda tactics into these categories: Name-calling, Glittering generalities, Transfer, Testimonial, Plain folks, Card stacking, Bandwagon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Propaganda_Analysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Propaganda_Analy... The other notions - i.e. malicious sabotage or disruption of groups by inserting agent provocateurs - have a similar long history and have also been analyzed, it's basically just spying of various sorts (see Sun Tzu, Art of War, Chapter 13) https://suntzuart.com/sun-tzu-art-of-war/chapter-13 https://suntzuart.com/sun-tzu-art-of-war/chapter-13 As others note, assuming someone you disagree with on an internet forum is a malicious bad-faith actor isn't a very healthy or useful perspective to take. Yes, there's a lot of PR efforts directed at social media platforms for various reasons, but it's always best to just present a well-reasoned argument in support of your views and leave it at that.

walterbell 4y ago
Additional search terms: Information Operations (IO) Influence Operations (IO) Inform and Influence Activities (IIA) Interactive Internet Activities (IIA) https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ > Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein, a close Obama adviser ... wrote a controversial paper in 2008 proposing that the US government employ teams of covert agents and pseudo-”independent” advocates to “cognitively infiltrate” online groups and websites ... also proposed sending covert agents into “chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups” which spread what he views as false and damaging “conspiracy theories” about the government. 2015 review, https://medium.com/secret-politics/trolls-on-the-astroturf-4168261f0f15 https://medium.com/secret-politics/trolls-on-the-astroturf-4... > The internet is a remarkable gift, which has granted us one of the greatest democratic opportunities since universal suffrage. We’re in danger of losing this global commons as it comes under assault from an army of trolls and flacks, many of them covertly organised or trained ... Only a powerful public campaign against state secrecy and private sector deception can thwart the rise of the trolls. This is a bridge we must cross now.
steve76 4y ago

walterbell 4y ago

Additional search terms: Information Operations (IO) Influence Operations (IO) Inform and Influence Activities (IIA) Interactive Internet Activities (IIA) https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/ > Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein, a close Obama adviser ... wrote a controversial paper in 2008 proposing that the US government employ teams of covert agents and pseudo-”independent” advocates to “cognitively infiltrate” online groups and websites ... also proposed sending covert agents into “chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups” which spread what he views as false and damaging “conspiracy theories” about the government. 2015 review, https://medium.com/secret-politics/trolls-on-the-astroturf-4168261f0f15 https://medium.com/secret-politics/trolls-on-the-astroturf-4... > The internet is a remarkable gift, which has granted us one of the greatest democratic opportunities since universal suffrage. We’re in danger of losing this global commons as it comes under assault from an army of trolls and flacks, many of them covertly organised or trained ... Only a powerful public campaign against state secrecy and private sector deception can thwart the rise of the trolls. This is a bridge we must cross now.

steve76 4y ago