Bots, Bullies and Trolls... Oh My.
When did we all get so angry? When did we find time to troll people on everything from help wanted posts to pictures of their favorite pet. Don’t get me started on political or general news posts. Since when did it become okay to attack someone in public? I mean, that’s what social media is, a public forum. Unless you are all dog and cat videos, chances are you will be trolled or a bot, or farm of them (botnets) will come for you.
I must admit, I am guilty of trolling right back. When I see a news story that’s got a typo in the headline, or provable false information I point it out. Just last week a friend posted a news story, that was a true statement and one of her “friends” started trolling everyone. It was like being at a party and having a dude with a drink in one hand pointing his finger and laughing in everyone else’s face.
When did it become ok to assault someone for having a different opinion than us? It could go all the way back to the days of CNN when Point/Counterpoint became a hit. But that was more like public debate. It may have been when it was parodied on Saturday Night Live that it became clear that making fun of someone else could be funny. But is it? Is it funny that some people believe illegal immigrants are being housed in upscale apartments in New York City when hard working New Yorkers can’t afford the same? It’s not, and with a tiny bit of digging, I found it to be untrue. Is it funny that a child sex trafficking ring was supposedly operated under a Pizza restaurant by a major party presidential candidate, also in NYC? It wasn’t and was proven false. As simple as visiting that restaurant and seeing with your own eyes, that there actually wasn’t even a basement. Is it funny that some people believe airplanes release chemicals that can manipulate the weather? I don’t think so. Or that 9-11 was an inside job?
There’s a great statement making the rounds, because of a book just released with the same title, Let Them. ?It’s a reminder that I don’t need to point and laugh at someone who talks about things that are demonstrably false. We can Let Them believe, right?
We can all do better.