Has the internet gone to the trolls?

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The Atlantic: Trolls Are Winning the Internet, Technologists Say

I think that the problem is both a lot of trolls and a lot of people actually believing crazy things, I really like this video here because it explains why that might be happening more then usual now that the internet is a thing:

Yep. The information superhighway can double as the ignorance superhighway, and also as the deliberate disinformation superhighway.

One must know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. It's not really rocket science. As for trolls, by crying and getting your panties in knots over them you give them what they came for.
To summarize: Tuffen up a little.

The trolls aren't winning the internet. They're not winning anything. They're just sad.

Are you using the part of the internet, where subjective information is published, or do you hold yourself to any nameable, social standards. Sometimes, that comes with a paywall. It's true.

I have spent my formative years in an uppity church, which said we were never supposed to be seen outside of a movie theater or liquor store or wearing blue jeans or work boots. (Country clubs and upscale buffets were ok.) I recognize that prejudices may have nothing productive, to offer.

But, I have never watched something constructive or inspirational, which has never turned out to be useful, later. Is that what you're looking for? Strictly?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milieu_control
I find that subversives simply do not exist, where there is milieu control, even if that is totally specious and random and called trapped in a bubble. You can create boundaries.

Bad money drives out good

There's nothing like getting behind a paywall to limit the random trolling, so I think they have a point when they talk about ad revenue determining the policies of a lot of sites.

Tolling has been around since the days you could post online. It's no different than in real life when a bully would pick on you and try and provoke you into doing something you don't normally do and get you to react.

Anonymity makes all the difference, LG.

Write Letters to the Editor instead?

I think, if I had to write one of those books, about secrets of highly successful people, or the power of positivity, for Millennials, it would cover the subject of web trolls and would-be activists, in public (probably, burning something or "burning" you.) Active and passive nihilists have never been allowed, to overrun a dedicated space -- for instance, bank, store, boardgame, military blockade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKTPTZehzBQ

Firefox allows simple installs of apps, which block comments and domain names, selectively. Instant troll relief (well, once you know how to use it.)There are hopefully comparable features, for Windows users. Facebook allows itself to be used as a sort-of Email service, without following what someone ate for breakfast or their (typically-awkward) politics. Blogs (if you must) should allow you to censor other people, from your own view, and remove your own intellectual property, on demand. If you must blog, ask that question, in the intro (how hard is it to pick-up and leave), and never look back.

I feel that there are two compelling lines of discussion --
1. Personal standards / eyes on the prize / insular universe / bubble-trapped
2. Putting yourself out there / face the music / disarm with honesty

If I have a niche interest or personal agenda, no matter how obscure, how temporary, how obsessive, I have no problem admitting that -- to myself. If you're a (fill in the blank) nerd, own up to it . You will immediately see a world of givers and takers. That's called identity politics. It's objectifying others. Guilty as charged.

I think that an identity or sense-of-self or executive-function, starts with nameable boundaries and associations.

How unfortunate, that there should be an arms race, for your attention, particularly, when so many big shots have nothing to offer, once you do the math. How many sanity checks can you perform, before you forget some trivial plan you were making, some part of your routine, before you're unable to function or receive a valuable inspiration.

On the other hand ...
... they may be useful idiots.

A lot of us here are reporting stress conditions, panic attacks, and sleeping problems. Totally-relevant, btw. The psyche is only half of psychosomatic conditions; practice milieu control for health and long life, as well as for enlightenment, or try finding your muse in a riot.