[FairfieldLife] Internet trolls are the modern-day counterpart of witch hunters
An interesting article, especially on the eve of Unlimited Trolling here on FFL. Ponder this during the next Let's everybody pile on Share session. Bold highlighting mine. Are Internet Trolls the Modern Incarnation of Witch Hunters? In the age of the Internet troll, there's an unfortunately predictable cycle for what happens to women who talk about feminist issues online: They get barraged with rape threats and harassment. For examples: see here http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2013/03/adria-richards-sendgr\ ind-fired/63400/ , here http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/a-letter-to-jessica-valenti/ , here http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/e3-anita-sarkeesian-sexism-rape-v\ iolent-threats/ and most recently, here http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/world/europe/bid-to-honor-austen-is-n\ ot-universally-acknowledged.html?pagewanted=all . The anonymous nature of Twitter and comment threads allows cowards to write hateful things to people without consequences, suggesting that this reaction is unique to the digital age. But it's not. The Twitter rape threat is just the 21st century incarnation of a centuries old reaction. Just the other day we saw the modern-day cycle play out http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/05/world/europe/bid-to-honor-austen-is-n\ ot-universally-acknowledged.html?pagewanted=all , with a countercampaign of online harassment lobbed at several high profile women who advocated for Jane Austen and other historical female figures on British bank notes. The announcement that Austen would grace the 10 pound bill resulted in Twitter rape threats by the minute against the blogger Caroline Criado-Perez because she both advocated and celebrated the brilliant day for women https://twitter.com/TheWomensRoomUK/status/360047518198939649 . The scope and nature of the hate is specific to the Internet, argues Dr. Whitney Phillips, a media studies and digital culture researcher, who is writing a book on trolls. While the sort of violently sexist bile directed at Criado-Perez definitely has precedent (and not just precedent but precedents), it also has context, she told The Atlantic Wire. Not only does Twitter allow for anonymous or pseudonymous communication, not only does it provide a forum for users to directly interface with public figures, its social functionality encourages the breakneck spread of information. In addition, because of the Internet, more people have exposure to people like Criado-Perez and her story, further amplifying the potential haters. But, like Phillips said, the behavior has precedence. The sexism we see online is just a reflection of real world hatred, suggests University of Maryland law professor Danielle Citron, who is writing a book about cyber harassment. We have gendered harms that we see these nudged into cyberspace where it's much safer for perpetrators to demean, she told The Atlantic Wire. Before, you might see acceptable sexual harassment in the work-place, for example. And certainly journalists in particular saw these feelings manifest in letters to the editor and hate mail the comment threads of the analog age http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/comments-on-the-w\ eb-engaging-readers-or-swamping-journalism/278311/ . Those mediums aren't as public as Twitter or a hateful blog post, however, says Emily Bazelon, who wrote Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy (which was adapted into this Atlantic feature http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/03/how-to-stop-bullies\ /309217/ ). It has a smear campaign aspect that would have been harder to pull off before, she told us. There's no editor to keep the mean comments and tweets out of the paper. Perhaps, a more analogous comparison is a witch hunt, suggests anthropologist Gabriella Coleman. For me what comes to most to mind as an interesting parallel is the extraordinary and very public demonization of women as witches during, she said. They were burned in very public ritual acts. Or, later, lynch mobs had the same effect. What these have in common with the Internet is that they're public, aggressive, and the people involved had a sense of disinhibition. You feel anonymous in a big group of people singling out a witch, the lynch mob has that, plus the added effect of a white-hood. Similarly, talk-radio another breading ground of proto-trolling http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10208418/Twitter-abuse-Wha\ t-women-hating-trolls-really-believe.html gives the caller a layer of distance because it's just the caller's voice. And, finally, the Internet troll has the protection of the Internet, with almost full anonymity and physical distance. As the troll has progressed from the IRL witch-hunter to the sad man in his basement harassing a journalist on Twitter, he has sought out more physical distance and protection from the victim, as it's no longer socially
Re: [FairfieldLife] Internet trolls are the modern-day counterpart of witch hunters
dear turq, may you have a wonderful weekend wherever you spend it and thank you so much for that very cool post about Shakespeare and Star Wars. Maybe I'll eventually understand Shakespeare's language which has always eluded me despite high school classes and a Literature major at Univ of Maryland. Which is mentioned in this fascinating article below. Which raises so many good questions philosophically, psychologically and even legally: can verbal group bullying harm and even kill? I think a few months ago a teenager committed suicide and some attributed it to cyber bullying. Anyway, it's all unfathomable karma, not to mention lila, not to mention another set of waves rolling in (-: with a virtual hug and a cackle, Share From: turquoiseb no_re...@yahoogroups.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 9, 2013 5:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Internet trolls are the modern-day counterpart of witch hunters An interesting article, especially on the eve of Unlimited Trolling here on FFL. Ponder this during the next Let's everybody pile on Share session. Bold highlighting mine. Are Internet Trolls the Modern Incarnation of Witch Hunters? In the age of the Internet troll, there's an unfortunately predictable cycle for what happens to women who talk about feminist issues online: They get barraged with rape threats and harassment. For examples: see here, here, here and most recently, here. The anonymous nature of Twitter and comment threads allows cowards to write hateful things to people without consequences, suggesting that this reaction is unique to the digital age. But it's not. The Twitter rape threat is just the 21st century incarnation of a centuries old reaction. Just the other day we saw the modern-day cycle play out, with a countercampaign of online harassment lobbed at several high profile women who advocated for Jane Austen and other historical female figures on British bank notes. The announcement that Austen would grace the 10 pound bill resulted in Twitter rape threats by the minute against the blogger Caroline Criado-Perez because she both advocated and celebrated the brilliant day for women. The scope and nature of the hate is specific to the Internet, argues Dr. Whitney Phillips, a media studies and digital culture researcher, who is writing a book on trolls. While the sort of violently sexist bile directed at Criado-Perez definitely has precedent (and not just precedent but precedents), it also has context, she told The Atlantic Wire. Not only does Twitter allow for anonymous or pseudonymous communication, not only does it provide a forum for users to directly interface with public figures, its social functionality encourages the breakneck spread of information. In addition, because of the Internet, more people have exposure to people like Criado-Perez and her story, further amplifying the potential haters. But, like Phillips said, the behavior has precedence. The sexism we see online is just a reflection of real world hatred, suggests University of Maryland law professor Danielle Citron, who is writing a book about cyber harassment. We have gendered harms that we see these nudged into cyberspace where it's much safer for perpetrators to demean, she told The Atlantic Wire. Before, you might see acceptable sexual harassment in the work-place, for example. And certainly journalists in particular saw these feelings manifest in letters to the editor and hate mail — the comment threads of the analog age. Those mediums aren't as public as Twitter or a hateful blog post, however, says Emily Bazelon, who wrote Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy(which was adapted into this Atlantic feature). It has a smear campaign aspect that would have been harder to pull off before, she told us. There's no editor to keep the mean comments and tweets out of the paper. Perhaps, a more analogous comparison is a witch hunt, suggests anthropologist Gabriella Coleman. For me what comes to most to mind as an interesting parallel is the extraordinary and very public demonization of women as witches during, she said. They were burned in very public ritual acts. Or, later, lynch mobs had the same effect. What these have in common with the Internet is that they're public, aggressive, and the people involved had a sense of disinhibition. You feel anonymous in a big group of people singling out a witch, the lynch mob has that, plus the added effect of a white-hood. Similarly, talk-radio — another breading ground of proto-trolling — gives the caller a layer of distance because it's just the caller's voice. And, finally, the Internet troll has the protection of the Internet, with almost full anonymity and physical distance. As the troll has progressed from the IRL witch-hunter to the sad man in his basement harassing a journalist
[FairfieldLife] Internet Trolls
Internet Trolls What is a Troll? An Internet troll is a person who delights in sowing discord on the Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and upset people. Trolls see Internet communications services as convenient venues for their bizarre game. For some reason, they don't get that they are hurting real people. To them, other Internet users are not quite human but are a kind of digital abstraction. As a result, they feel no sorrow whatsoever for the pain they inflict. Indeed, the greater the suffering they cause, the greater their 'achievement' (as they see it). At the moment, the relative anonymity of the net allows trolls to flourish. Trolls are utterly impervious to criticism (constructive or otherwise). You cannot negotiate with them; you cannot cause them to feel shame or compassion; you cannot reason with them. They cannot be made to feel remorse. For some reason, trolls do not feel they are bound by the rules of courtesy or social responsibility. Perhaps this sounds inconceivable. You may think, Surely there is something I can write that will change them. But a true troll can not be changed by mere words. Why Does it Matter? Some people particularly those who have been online for years are not upset by trolls and consider them an inevitable hazard of using the net. As the saying goes, You can't have a picnic without ants. It would be nice if everybody was so easy-going, but the sad fact is that trolls do discourage people. Established posters may leave a message board because of the arguments that trolls ignite, and lurkers (people who read but do not post) may decide that they do not want to expose themselves to abuse and thus never get involved. Another problem is that the negative emotions stirred up by trolls leak over into other discussions. Normally affable people can become bitter after reading an angry interchange between a troll and his victims, and this can poison previously friendly interactions between long-time users. Finally, trolls create a paranoid environment, such that a casual criticism by a new arrival can elicit a ferocious and inappropriate backlash. The Internet is a wonderful resource which is breaking down barriers and stripping away prejudice. Trolls threaten our continued enjoyment of this beautiful forum for ideas. What Can be Done about Trolls? When you suspect that somebody is a troll, you might try responding with a polite, mild message to see if it's just somebody in a bad mood. Internet users sometimes let their passions get away from them when seated safely behind their keyboard. If you ignore their bluster and respond in a pleasant manner, they usually calm down. However, if the person persists in being beastly, and seems to enjoy being unpleasant, the only effective position is summed up as follows: The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls. When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you insult a troll, he wins. When you scream at a troll, he wins. The only thing that trolls can't handle is being ignored. What Not to Do As already stated, it is futile to try to cure a troll of his obsession. But perhaps you simply cannot bear the hostile environment that the troll is creating and want to go away for a while. If you do that, then for the sake of the others on the system, please do not post a dramatic Goodbye! message. This convinces the troll that he is winning the battle. There is, perhaps, no message you can write on a message system that is as damaging as an announcement that you are leaving because of the hostility that the troll has kindled. If you feel you must say something, a discreet message to the system operator (and some of the others users, if you have their email addresses) is the best course of action. Incidentally, if you are writing the letter in an agitated state, it is a good idea to wait an hour and then give it one last review before you actually send it. That might spare you the pain of saying things that you don't really mean to people you like. Impersonation One technique used by trolls to generate chaos is to pretend to be a well-liked person. On some systems there is nothing to prevent somebody from signing your name to a distasteful message. On other systems the troll may have to be a bit more wiley, perhaps by replacing one character with another. Here are some examples of various spoofing gimmicks that could be used against a person named Brenda Q. O'Really: Brenda Q. OReally Brenda Q. 0'Really Brenda Q O'Really Brenda Q. O'Rea11y Bredna Q. O'Really 8renda Q. O'Really Note: Brenda Q. O'Really is a made-up name used to illustrate spoofing and is not intended to refer to a particular person. If you react with anger, the troll wins. So if you see a message impersonating you on a message board, simply write a follow-up reply entitled That Wasn't Me and
