Between now and 11th February 2020 ( Safer Internet Day), this account will be focusing on smear campaigns and online abuse, specifically #cyberbullying and #virtualmobbing
If you are being targeted, take care and know you are not alone ❤️
THREAD
If you are being targeted, take care and know you are not alone ❤️
THREAD
The Center for Countering Digital Hate @CCDHate deals with the increasing use of identity-based hate to polarise societies & undermine democracy, with practical solutions & actions to counter hate.
Don't Feed the Trolls is a Practical Guide to Dealing With Hate on Social Media.
Don't Feed the Trolls is a Practical Guide to Dealing With Hate on Social Media.
The full report is here:
counterhate.co.uk
counterhate.co.uk
Here are some extracts from the report:
“What we quickly realised is that targeted abuse of public figures is not just about “lulz”; it is a deliberate tactic designed to generate outrage and attract more viewers to misinformation and hate.”
“We have not tried to define trolls too tightly as adhering to a particular ideology or approach. Rather, we point to the use of ad hominem attacks, sectarianism and deliberate offensiveness as key characteristics.”
“When public figures engage with abusive trolls to defend their reputation or their values – a normal behavioural response – this inadvertently spreads & legitimates the trolls’ message & tricks social media algorithms into pushing it into a broader array of users’ timelines.”
A crucial point made by @Imi_Ahmed:
“This helps trolls to spread their message to far more people than they could alone, as they usually congregate in small, densely- interconnected, highly- active clusters with little access to the broader public. “
“This helps trolls to spread their message to far more people than they could alone, as they usually congregate in small, densely- interconnected, highly- active clusters with little access to the broader public. “
“This has exposed more people to hateful attitudes and conspiracism, and risks the trolls winning new converts.”
“It is a basic behavioural response to wish to correct someone we believe is wrong. But that instinctual response must be overcome because engaging with erroneous material and allegations legitimises that views and lends it credibility it does not deserve.”
“We act counter-productively, engaging trolls, debating them, believing this is a battle of ideas. In fact, the trolls are playing a quite different game.They don’t want to “win” or “lose” an argument;they...want their ideas to be heard by as many potential converts as possible.”
Trolls Enjoy Hurting People
When trolls abuse public figures, it is quite often intentionally hurtful; like a bully, they know where to hit to make it hurt the most.
When trolls abuse public figures, it is quite often intentionally hurtful; like a bully, they know where to hit to make it hurt the most.
Psychologists Naomi Craker and Evita March studied the personality characteristics that drive trolling behaviour and found that trolls actually gain pleasure from seeing someone else hurt; something they call “negative social potency”.
“ In short, reacting to trolls really is giving them exactly what they want. Furthermore, using the same logic, the language of victimisation, even if used to highlight the issue, often acts as positive reinforcement for trolls.”
This is important:
Defending Yourself is a Trap
Trolls exploit the natural human instinct of self-defence. Social media is a new medium where our natural instincts can sometimes cause us to fall into traps and do harm without realising it.
Defending Yourself is a Trap
Trolls exploit the natural human instinct of self-defence. Social media is a new medium where our natural instincts can sometimes cause us to fall into traps and do harm without realising it.
Trolls Attack as a Pack
Trolls coordinate activities to “isolate” and “mass-assault” a public figure as a core tactic.
This involves identifying a target and an issue that might induce a reaction.
Trolls coordinate activities to “isolate” and “mass-assault” a public figure as a core tactic.
This involves identifying a target and an issue that might induce a reaction.
Troll networks are small, coordinated, densely interconnected, highly active clusters.
They usually follow each other, therefore each trolls’ followers are for the main part within the same troll network.
This vastly amplifies the threat they APPEAR to pose.
They usually follow each other, therefore each trolls’ followers are for the main part within the same troll network.
This vastly amplifies the threat they APPEAR to pose.
And finally:
“They attack you because they are trying to exploit your achievements and the number of normal people who take an interest in what you do and say on social media.”
Link to full report:
counterhate.co.uk
“They attack you because they are trying to exploit your achievements and the number of normal people who take an interest in what you do and say on social media.”
Link to full report:
counterhate.co.uk
