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In an online world of echo chambers, often just posting a different opinion can be considered trolling. "Trolling" can be used to describe such a wide range of

In an online world of echo chambers, often just posting a different opinion can be considered trolling. "Trolling" can be used to describe such a wide range of behavior that it is barely meaningful anymore. It mostly means "undesired behavior" now. I see it very similar to the word "woke", which also has such an absurdly wide definition that it becomes almost meaningless.

vuln 4y ago
Trolling, woke, racist, nazi, gaslighting Have all lost their meaning due to the abundant incorrect usage over the last few years.
- xpe 4y ago
  I know what you mean. The words do have (more or less) historically clear meanings.* If we clarify what we mean, we can still use them. It makes it harder, which I think is largely your point. * Subsequent changes in meaning, as used by some people, can tell us a lot about those people.
- drewcoo 4y ago
  Toxic, fascist, it goes on . . .
anigbrowl 4y ago
True, but self-identified trolls mean it very much in the context of strategic misrepresentation, as in these graphical demonstrations by 3angledblue: https://wiki.bibanon.org/Three_Angled_Blue#/media/File:Nobody_is_Right_By_3Angled_Blue.png https://wiki.bibanon.org/Three_Angled_Blue#/media/File:Nobod... and https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/003/140/trollexploitable2.png https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/003/140/tro... Misrepresentation can extend even to the point of accusing wholly sincere but irritated people of 'trolling' in order to further annoy them. But when the term is used in the social sciences it's typically tightly defined. It doesn't really matter how dilute the popular understanding is; if it becomes so dilute that the association is meaningless than the behavior can just be given some other designation, such as reflexive control.
PaulHoule 4y ago
A lot of that behavior is about encouraging group cohesion in the ingroup as opposed to getting the outgroup to change their behavior. Rush Limbaugh coined the phrase “own the libs” but unlike many other political commentators (say conservatives William F. Buckley or leftist Gore Vidal) he rarely engaged with people he disagree with. Cultural left ‘cancel mobs’ can cause distress to their victims but I think the real point is to get a thrill of being in a crowd with a heightened identity similar to what people get from going to a football game or to get some relief from meaninglessness in taking action.

vuln 4y ago

Trolling, woke, racist, nazi, gaslighting Have all lost their meaning due to the abundant incorrect usage over the last few years.

xpe 4y ago
I know what you mean. The words do have (more or less) historically clear meanings.* If we clarify what we mean, we can still use them. It makes it harder, which I think is largely your point. * Subsequent changes in meaning, as used by some people, can tell us a lot about those people.
drewcoo 4y ago
Toxic, fascist, it goes on . . .

anigbrowl 4y ago

True, but self-identified trolls mean it very much in the context of strategic misrepresentation, as in these graphical demonstrations by 3angledblue: https://wiki.bibanon.org/Three_Angled_Blue#/media/File:Nobody_is_Right_By_3Angled_Blue.png https://wiki.bibanon.org/Three_Angled_Blue#/media/File:Nobod... and https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/003/140/trollexploitable2.png https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/003/140/tro... Misrepresentation can extend even to the point of accusing wholly sincere but irritated people of 'trolling' in order to further annoy them. But when the term is used in the social sciences it's typically tightly defined. It doesn't really matter how dilute the popular understanding is; if it becomes so dilute that the association is meaningless than the behavior can just be given some other designation, such as reflexive control.

PaulHoule 4y ago

A lot of that behavior is about encouraging group cohesion in the ingroup as opposed to getting the outgroup to change their behavior. Rush Limbaugh coined the phrase “own the libs” but unlike many other political commentators (say conservatives William F. Buckley or leftist Gore Vidal) he rarely engaged with people he disagree with. Cultural left ‘cancel mobs’ can cause distress to their victims but I think the real point is to get a thrill of being in a crowd with a heightened identity similar to what people get from going to a football game or to get some relief from meaninglessness in taking action.