>by exploiting our tendency to believe that others we disagree with are merely misguided and can be educated
There's such a tendency? From my experience, it's much more likely that people believe that the other side is full of idiots.
The Trance of Dysfunction: Why Trolls Have Come to Dominate Discourse
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Re: The Trance of Dysfunction: Why Trolls Have Come to Dominate Discourse
#22I reject the premise. The internet seems to have proven that medium shapes dialogue. Wikipedia = encyclopedia quality product using only input from internet people Reddit = Consistently entertaining jokes on news using only input from internet people HN = A readable online discussion with points worth considering using only input from internet people
I would add Stack Exchange (and particularly SO), full of invaluable information but you need to kneel before asking a question.
I do not know how the Meta groups are today, this was one of the most toxic groups I have ever seen.
Re: The Trance of Dysfunction: Why Trolls Have Come to Dominate Discourse
#23Trolls have always dominated discourse once the discourse gets into the public arena. The noticeable difference today is that is tends to be more real time for more people.
The first problem is that the biggest trolls we have are our politicians (of every stripe and level), including any position that requires a public vote to enter.
Critical thinking is not taught today in education system and hence, we see less and less people able to refute or deal with trolls in any significant way.
I notice that Techdirt.com has a very usable means of dealing with trolls by the general reading community.
The second problem is that the label "troll" often gets applied to anyone who has a viewpoint that is different to prevailing group's viewpoint. So, someone who has a relatively left POV will be labelled a troll on a site that is relatively right, whereas someone who is relatively right will be labelled a troll on a site that is relatively left. There are all sorts of opposing viewpoints that have some level of validity which will be labelled as trollish by the opposing camp.
This is where critical thinking comes in handy, to be able to see the level of validity of an opposing viewpoint without heading down the ad hominen path of rebuttal.
Thirdly, there are those who have the goal of simply stirring up the general group by making comments that exist for the sole purpose of causing contention.
This is where critical thinking come in so that one can recognised such and apply the required filters and not get caught up in responding to those comments. In other words, Don't Feed The Trolls.
Finally, the term NAZI applies to a specific viewpoint and when you look into this viewpoint, there is nothing positive about it. Many who have been labelled nazi are no more NAZI than those who have applied that label to them.
It is a particularly pernicious POV and thoroughly debilitating to the well-being of society. Mind you, there are any number of other viewpoints that are just as bad for society both from the left and the right.