Attack of the Anons
Thu, Oct 05
Prof. Bowyer continues his presentation on surveullance capitalism in today's class.
In today's readings we'll trace the history of Internet trolling from its humble beginnings on Internet Relay Chat to its more malignant instantiation on 8chan and other platforms. As with other topics we've been covering, myriad complexities exist when trolling is considered beyond the surface level arguments against it. We'll also think hard about the notion of anonymity, and where it might serve a constructive purpose in the social media ecosystem.
We have three main learning goals. By the end of today's readings you will:
- Understand where trolling came from, what impact it has had on society, and what can be done to mitigate its effects.
- Reflect on the relationship between trolling and cyberbullying.
- Reconsider anonymity, which has fallen out of favor recently, but might still be useful in certain contexts.
Read This:
Adrienne LaFrance warns in the Atlantic that Trolls are Winning the Internet
The New York Times compiled a series of reflections on GamerGate to put it in context with current events: Everything is GamerGate
Writing for TNW, George Beall asks How Dangerous is Cyberbullying?
Joanne McNeil reports on the Dangerous Tricksters of 4chan for Literary Hub
In a piece for McSweeny's, Gabriella Coleman wants us to reconsider Anonymity in the Age of Narcissism
These optional readings provide more detail on trolling and counter-trolling measures being deployed by various social media platforms:
The Future of the Culture Wars is Here, And It's Gamergate
GamerGate's Archvillain is Really a Trolling Sketch Comedian
Reddit Troll Ban Helped Cut Hateful Speech"
"Repugnant" Online Discussions Are Not Illegal Thoughtcrime, Court Rules
Reddit Cracks Down on Abuse as CEO Apologizes for Trolling the Trolls
A New Harassment Policy for Twitter
This Researcher Programmed Bots to Fight Racism on Twitter. It Worked.
Cyberbullying: What it is And How to Avoid it
The Shock and Pain of Cyber-Bullying
Cyberbullying in the Workplace: 'I Became Paranoid'
Who Spewed That Abuse? Anonymous Yik Yak App Isn't Telling
Google Plus Finally Gives Up on Its Ineffective, Dangerous Real-Name Policy
Changes to Facebook's "Real Names" Policy Still Don't Fix the Problem
Do This:
Writing Reflection 05
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 10/10 at 5pm.
This Week's Dialogue Group Meeting
Find at least one hour to meet with your group to discuss the prompt of the week: Is there a social media platform out there that's doing things better than the others?
Schedule your group meeting for next week. The new prompt is: What would your ideal social media platform look like?
Watch This:
Watch the segments on 4chan and trolling from Brian Knappenberger's documentary We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists. If you have some spare time, this very entertaining documentary is worth viewing in its entirety. Some of the other topics it covers (e.g., hacktivism) will be discussed in later lectures.