The scary, real-world effects of trolling

[ivwshane]

I would hope so. The site should be more specific in that it is a satire piece. Like having satire in big red letters across the top of the page. I never read "the onion" and didn't hear about it until they named north Korea's leader as the most handsome man in the world or something like that and then it got a few laughs from other media. But if other news agencies and forums started to pick up that story and run with it i would think it would be easy for most people to take it as real.

If you can't tell when something is satire in regards to a national/world news story then you might have other issues

 

[elitejp]

It depends. The media is a tough thing to follow. Even respected news sites are looked on as just making things up because because they are of a particular party line. And many times they do only report bits and pieces to make their stance more credible.
I need to find a thread that was started a few days ago on this forum where everyone started pointing fingers and yelling about what a terrible thing something was until another member actually researched it and found out the report was only a half truth.

 

[Bowfinger]

It depends. The media is a tough thing to follow. Even respected news sites are looked on as just making things up because because they are of a particular party line. And many times they do only report bits and pieces to make their stance more credible.
I need to find a thread that was started a few days ago on this forum where everyone started pointing fingers and yelling about what a terrible thing something was until another member actually researched it and found out the report was only a half truth.

I believe you just described P&N.

 

[Vic]

It depends. The media is a tough thing to follow. Even respected news sites are looked on as just making things up because because they are of a particular party line. And many times they do only report bits and pieces to make their stance more credible.
I need to find a thread that was started a few days ago on this forum where everyone started pointing fingers and yelling about what a terrible thing something was until another member actually researched it and found out the report was only a half truth.

This difference is actually quite easy to recognize. Which media holds its members most accountable to what is objectively the truth? You see, morals might be subjective, but truth is purely objective, by literal definition. So it's not okay that he lied because they meant well, or were serving the cause, because dishonesty is the greatest offense to morality.

 

[elitejp]

I believe you just described P&N.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2459742&highlight=
Republicans to Vote on Act that Could be VW Bailout Right After US Govt Sues VW

 

[ivwshane]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2459742&highlight=
Republicans to Vote on Act that Could be VW Bailout Right After US Govt Sues VW

You seem to have a real problem following threads. The thread title was a reflection of the story title the OP posted. The article was a misrepresentation of what the effect of passing the bill would have caused however it's true effects were much worse. You read exactly up to the point you wanted to and ignored the rest. The only people pointing fingers were the idiots who were trying to spin the issue to be no big deal. Your concerned trolling in that thread was also noted.

 

[shira]

I would hope so. The site should be more specific in that it is a satire piece. Like having satire in big red letters across the top of the page. I never read "the onion" and didn't hear about it until they named north Korea's leader as the most handsome man in the world or something like that and then it got a few laughs from other media. But if other news agencies and forums started to pick up that story and run with it i would think it would be easy for most people to take it as real.

These are just a few of the many other headlines on that same page:

• ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios
• 'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break
• ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood
• Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need
• Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone
• Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'

So I guess it isn't at all obvious that this site engages in satire.

 

[ivwshane]

Btw, if we want to use P&N threads as an example then this would be the perfect thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=37966939#post37966939

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Our media hardly ever reports anything as boring as the full and plain truth, or at least never reports it as such, because that's not "news." There always has to at least be enough doubt or obfuscation left for debate or controversy, because then that's NEW$. Mr. Zakaria would do well to focus less on social networks and put more scrutiny on his journalistic cohorts as he's experiencing first hand exactly what his industry has cultivated over the last few decades in promoting rumor mills instead of pushing back on them.

 

[shortylickens]

On this forum and in real life, the worst bigots I see are anti-gun owners.

But I just accept it.

 

[dmcowen674]

No one has ever gotten rich or become happy from believing in and spreading lies.

There are a bunch of self proclaimed rich Oil Thug supporters in here that are supported by this site with their lies everyday.

 

[fskimospy]

On this forum and in real life, the worst bigots I see are anti-gun owners.

But I just accept it.

There have been people on here who have literally talked about how they were preparing for the oncoming race war and you think the worst bigots are people who want greater regulations on guns? Lol.

I guess people see what they want to see.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

This difference is actually quite easy to recognize. Which media holds its members most accountable to what is objectively the truth? You see, morals might be subjective, but truth is purely objective, by literal definition. So it's not okay that he lied because they meant well, or were serving the cause, because dishonesty is the greatest offense to morality.

You stick with that the next time your wife asks if she looks fat. Read a little history. There is no such thing as truth with a capital T.

 

[Moonbeam]

There is no such thing as truth with a capital T.

If you are right you are wrong.

 

[crashtech]

Every ideologue thinks their worldview is objective truth.

 

[Moonbeam]

There have been people on here who have literally talked about how they were preparing for the oncoming race war and you think the worst bigots are people who want greater regulations on guns? Lol.

I guess people see what they want to see.

Humanity is asleep. We are operated by trigger buttons. He has a big 'react with disgust' button that is pushed by anti-gun people. Think of people as bumper cars.