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NYT Explores the World of Internet Trolls

prostoalex writes "New York Times magazine explores the history and status quo of Internet trolling. They look at the early days of Usenet trolling, current anonymous forums, and social networking pages as the latest venues for trolls: 'In the late 1980s, Internet users adopted the word troll to denote someone who intentionally disrupts online communities. Early trolling was relatively innocuous, taking place inside of small, single-topic Usenet groups. The trolls employed what the M.I.T. professor Judith Donath calls a pseudo-naïve tactic, asking stupid questions and seeing who would rise to the bait. The game was to find out who would see through this stereotypical newbie behavior, and who would fall for it. As one guide to trolldom puts it, If you don't fall for the joke, you get to be in on it.'"

27 of 423 comments (clear)

  1. frosty piss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    frosty piss

    1. Re:frosty piss by statemachine · · Score: -1, Troll

      What's a troll?

    2. Re:frosty piss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      This is a troll

    3. Re:frosty piss by oldspewey · · Score: -1, Troll

      Why was this modded Offtopic?

      --
      If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    4. Re:frosty piss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Why was this modded Offtopic?

      Because the poster is a nigger. Darkies shouldn't be at the top of the page.

    5. Re:frosty piss by aproposofwhat · · Score: 1, Troll

      Funny as fuck - please mod parent up!

      --
      One swallow does not a fellatrix make
  2. Re: Internet trolls by swordfishBob · · Score: 0, Troll

    Who would do such a stupid thing?

    --
    -- All your bass are below two Hz
  3. great plan imo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    1.put news about trolls on the new york times
    2.watch the influx of newfags
    3.start trolling
    4.???
    5.profit

  4. Does trolling happen on Macs too? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Are Mac internet forums full of trolls the way linux and windows (slashdot readers) are?

    1. Re:Does trolling happen on Macs too? by Yvan256 · · Score: 0, Troll

      Yep, there's a lot of "Windows is better because it has games, I don't care if I need to run five anti-virus and two firewall programs and have to do updates every week" Microsoft trolls and "Apple ripped OSS projects and never gave anything back and I want the source code and OGG is better than AAC" Linux trolls.

  5. i don't understand by circletimessquare · · Score: -1, Troll

    what is the point of the article? could someone explain it to me why people are interested in this? is trolling really that important?

    i mean its bad enough that people troll, but now people have to talk about the trolling in the new york times? what's wrong with people that they have to keep talking about this?

    i just wish someone would "lay down the law" and firmly say that trolling is wrong and not healthy for the internet. and just leave it at that. and certainly don't feed them by making them the cause celebre of the moment. but look at you! but you come in here and you talk all about them. you are feeding them. don't you see?

    could someone please tell me why this subject matter has even the faintest bit of interest? i'm trying really hard to wrap my head around this subject matter, but i can't seem to figure out why people would want to talk about this!

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:i don't understand by WK2 · · Score: 0, Troll

      Says the guy who responded to a New York Times article that was posted to Slashdot by timothy. DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!

      --
      Write your own Choose Your Own Adventure. http://www.freegameengines.org/gamebook-engine/
    2. Re:i don't understand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      I am the original poster - disregard that, I suck cocks!

  6. Kibo. by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: -1, Troll

    I always associated trolling with those Kibo morons back in the Usenet heyday. They always thought they were pretty subtle and quite ingenius, but I think I've shit more clever things.

  7. What's the difference? by seanonymous · · Score: 0, Troll

    Can someone please explain the difference between troll posts and flamebait?

  8. I have a different definition ...... by NewYorkCountryLawyer · · Score: 1, Troll

    of "troll". I use the term to refer to someone pretending to be something they're not. E.g., someone who's got a short position in a stock, and pretends to be a nervous holder of a long position, or -- more close to home for me-- the RIAA PR troll who repeatedly writes a post about how he owned a 'family' owned record store which got put out of business by peer to peer file sharing, or who writes "no one hates the RIAA more than me, but.........."

    --
    Ray Beckerman +5 Insightful
  9. Re:PLEASE EXPLAIN! CAPSLOCK REPITITION FILTER FAIL by Iamthecheese · · Score: 0, Troll

    I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I 1O NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTI1LE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEA1E EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! WILL1SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE A2TICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE P2EASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!!2WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAI2 IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL 3OMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT3TO ME!!!! WILL SOMEONE P3EASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I3DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EX4LAIN IT TO ME!!!! WILL SO4EONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT T4 ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND4THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!5 WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXP5AIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT5UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! 5ILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE6EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO6NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICL6!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE E6PLAIN IT TO ME!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! 7 DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE AR7ICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PL7ASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! WI7L SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE 8RTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE 8LEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!8 WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLA8N IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEON9 PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME9!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE 9XPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NO9 UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN 8T TO ME!!!! WILL SOMEONE 0PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!0! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE A0TICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! WILL7SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN I9 TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDER9TAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL S9MEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! can I fool the caps-lock a6d repition filter? can I 8ool the caps-lock and rep8tion filter? can I fool the8caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps-lock and re5ition filter? can I fool 7he caps-lock and repition7filter? can I fool the caps7lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps-lock and repit4on filter? can I fool the6caps-lock and repition fi6ter? can I fool the caps-lo6k and repition filter? can I fool the caps-lock and repition fi3ter? can I fool the caps-5ock and repition filter? 5an I fool the caps-lock and5repition filter? can I fool the caps-lock and repition filter?2can I fool the caps-lock 4nd repition filter? can I4fool the caps-lock and repi4ion filter? can I fool the caps-lock and repition filter? can I2fool the caps-lock and re3ition filter? can I fool 3he caps-lock and repition f3lter? can I fool the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool 1he caps-lock and repition3filter? can I fool the ca3s-lock and repition filter?2can I fool the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the c2ps-lock and repition filt2r? can I fool the caps-lo2k and repition filter? can 1 fool the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the ca3s-lock and repition filte1? can I fool the caps-loc1 and repition filter? can I2fool the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the cap4-lock and repition filter1 can I fool the caps-lock1and repition filter? can I 3ool the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps5lock and repition filter?1can I fool the caps-lock 1nd repition filter? can I f4ol the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps-6ock and repition filter? 1an I fool the caps-lock a2d repition filter? can I fo5l the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps-l7ck and repition filter? c1n I fool the caps-lock an3 repition filter? can I foo6 the caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps-lo8k and repition filter? ca1 I fool the caps-lock and4repition filter? can I fool71he caps-lock and repition filter? can I fool the caps-loc9 and repition filter? can1I fool the caps-lock and 567ition filter?

    I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I 1O NOT UNDERSTAND THE ARTI1LE!!!! WILL SOMEONE PLEA1E EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! WILL1SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE A2TICLE!!!! WILL SOMEONE P2EASE EXPLAIN IT TO ME!!!!2WILL SOMEONE PLEA

    --
    If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  10. Re:thanks alot submitter... by martin-boundary · · Score: 1, Troll

    Whoever marked your comment as a troll sadly has no clue about the etymology of the word. Trolling is derived from a fishing technique, where the fish are caught with bait and hook on a line. That's certainly what the NY Times is doing (bain = article, hook = registration, fish = Yu0).

  11. Re:Hi, I'm New Here by Yvan256 · · Score: -1, Troll

    Fook Yu.

  12. Not your average internet troll by Vexorian · · Score: 1, Troll

    I just RTFA, and these guys are not internet trolls, they are just utter idiots.

    --

    Copyright infringement is "piracy" in the same way DRM is "consumer rape"
  13. Screw Karma by failedlogic · · Score: -1, Troll

    Given the nature of this topic, please give me a -5 Troll. Make my day!

  14. No matter if it was wanted... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    This article needs more desu.

  15. Re:Golden Age of Trolling by Vukovar · · Score: 0, Troll

    You had it easy. Back in my day, trolls had to use bridges.

    Oh c'mon!! how could you mod that as "Troll"? That was damn funny!

  16. Re:New York Times by Reverend528 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Seriously dude, how did you managed to get modded troll on this of all threads?

  17. Re:New York Times by kauos · · Score: 0, Troll

    I pissed myself when I saw this was labelled troll. Mod this one up. If ever there was a topic where we needed a couple +5 Troll posts, this would be it.

  18. Re:First troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Don't forget to pay your 699USD licensing fee you cock-smoking teabaggers!

  19. Re:Not to be out done... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Stop that shit you filthy nigger!