"The Dark Side of Forums"

[SOT]

“The Dark Side of Internet Forums”


Ah, The Internet. What a glorious triumph in the history of mankind. Information at one’s fingertips. The ability to stay in touch with our peers and family. The art. The music. The trends. The culture. The fighting. The hatred. The misinformation. The megalomaniacal. The utterly mentally deficient.

As a race of beings, humans have so many complexities, that a complete and fully working understanding of ourselves is quite beyond reach of any one single person, or group of them. There are, however, certain things which are blatantly apparent, one of which is truly disturbing to me:

IDIOTS RUN THINGS.

That being said, I will now rip open some assholes with new avenues of gas-escape…

Internet forum communities have become a dime-a-dozen in my opinion. There are new one’s that rise to hundreds, if not thousands of new members each day, only to die out in due course. They have so many comments, artworks, and ideas plastered into a little alcove in the sea of the net, then vanish inevitably. Why? What is the reason so many people say so very much, but in the end it becomes just a memory, kept by people in their own lives, to think about? I have some theories, none of which will make you feel good about it:

I have been online a very long time. When I state this fact, I do not mean that I, like Al Gore, invented the internet, or that I helped it become what it is today. What I mean is from a historical standpoint, I recall the www before it was AOL, Netzero, Script Kiddies, Haxors ownsjoo, and L33+. I recall when you had to know what the **** you were doing to get anything out of it. Basically, if you were 15 and had the free time, you used things like telnet or a local BBS system to make the world listen. Now though, we have these lovely internet forums. Everyone has a picture that is supposed to, on some suboncious level, tell the world what we are about, or make people laugh, and generally get the attention we seem to crave as beings. As if it matters at all at the end of the day what someone we will never meet interpersonally thinks of our badass animated gif avatar of mother teresa superimposed on a bed of nails coughing up spongebob squarepants.

When I first accessed an internet forum, I was amazed at all there was to see, and learn from. I kept track of patterns, and the one pattern that has remained constant is the phenomenon of “Trolls”. Trolls are people who hang out on these places of communication between people, and randomly post words that are designed to get attention, in ANY capacity, and no matter how slanted. They rarely contribute to anything meaningful in discussion, and they are incapable of not holding a grudge, over the most inane and utterly meaningless themes,

Well, the entire concept of forum trolls has a dark side, and it is very much hidden from opn debate. That can of worms is now open. Anyone who read this post and has any doubts about the REALITY of what I am about to discuss is, quite simply, not paying attention, and are therefore free to click the x button on the browser, because I will not respond to posts that do not make sense, or do not have any bearing on this discussion. Veer away, and be ignored, LOL.

There is a type of person who could be called a "troll", but they are almost never viewed as such, and in fact, have never been called out for it in my experience. Probably never will be, for those that fit into this category of inernet personality tend to fade from the spotlight as quickly as they emerge. What I am referring to is a person who, without any seeming reason to, decides that they have all the answers.

You see it no matter what forum you go to, and no matter the subject of that forum. Some guy, we'll use the name UberComeLately here for my purposes, who has more posts than the library of congress has books within its walls, and somehow, this person therefore believes that anything he or she says, is golden rule, and anyone who disagrees with their stance is a "troll" "baiter" "idiot" "ashole".

The problem is not their belief they are God. The problem, which is literally the MEANING I posted this, is the other people in the forum who will, without reason, logic, or real or imagined pride, defend this person to the bitter ****ing end. They will flame ANYONE who attempts to dissuade, disagree, or downright combat UberComeLately.

Why is this? Why do people rush to the defense of a person who, without their ability to access and post on a forum, would quite literally be just another shut-in on Friday night, who is not contributing to the society to which they apparently loathe, but refuse to change through action? Why do people gravitate towards people whose only redeeming qualities are lies, manipulation, and the ability to post quotations from Calr Jung, Frederich Nietchze, and Marlon Brando? Why does someone's post count determine their validity to a discussion?

Simply really. UberComeLately is older than 80% of the forum members he or she lords over. He is therefore somehow directly linked to God Himself, and within his or her own mind, anything he or she says will be regarded with an odd mixture of crush, nostalgia, awe, or respect, because UberComeLately has been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

What people fail to realize is, UberComeLately is only a celebrity to you. In real life, he or she is a divorced parent of 3, or perhaps no children and never married. Contains in his or her background enough shades of ink to pen a comic book. Most likely posts against you on other forums you will never see (there are too many). Has no ability, whatsoever, to admit wrong. Pretty much feeds off the attention they get from the 113 groupies on a forum, like plants do from sunlight. Attains validation again and again by people literally going along with his or her ideals, without once wondering the MOTIVATION behind it all.

UberComeLately is not some dipshit fantasy I pulled out of my ass. He or she is a person that exists for the sole benefit of his or her self. They have an uncanny ability to say all the right things to a large group of people, who seem to forget that reading TEXT is not indicative of mannerisms, or INTENT. They have the innate ability to sound authoritative on many topics which in real life are so far from their realm of experience as to be silly, and yet, kids as young as 15 will shape their entire system of belief and worldview around this moron's penchant for grandstanding and uber elite dogma.

Simply put, these people are not your friends. They are not your mentor. They are not the Drug Abuse Counselor that met you at Denny's one stormy night to intervene on your behalf and perhaps save you from yourself. You are being used, spyed on, and are generally feeding a parasite for which there is no apparent cure: "trolls".

This entire post is dedicated to people who think for their own selves, who move of their own volition, not from the UberComeLately pulling your speak string. This post is for those that can spot such nonsense at a discreet distance. This is for all the people who have ever confided in an ICON ON THE SCREEN only to find out the hard way that nothing is as it seems, and the internet is indeed a wilderness area for many a human young person. This is for all the admins out there who give MOD STATUS to people who would not be entrusted to water my ROSE BUSHES for 50 cents. This post is, finally, for all the people who try so hard to be heard, to share and to get something out of the internet, only to find that people are just as asinine, self-centered, and morally corrupted online as off. You are listened to. You matter. UberComeLately is not the be all, end all, of us out here. Some of us actually HAVE LIVED.

[Augy]

Stop trying to troll UberComeLately. He's living virtual l33tness, you asshat.

[/sarcasm]

[SOT]

Validation in under 9 minutes

[adam.skinner]

Shut up Augy!! What SoT said is true, and I will defend him to the bitter ****ing end!

[SOT]

LMAO...you guys cannot take anything serious for very long. I guess dump the thread, mods. It's apparent it's not needed...

[Serafita Kayin]

I hear ya.

I used to be that guy, on another forum long ago. I ended up leaving the forum cause I didn't want the fanboys or any of it. Some of us are idolized simply because we speak with authority. They seem to need it.

If I am respected, let it be for pure skill, and not cause of post count or age.

[ArgentLupe]

Originally Posted by adam.skinner

Shut up Augy!! What SoT said is true, and I will defend him to the bitter ****ing end!

I'd like to see SOT's post count before agreeing or disagreeing.

[Soul Monarch]

Originally Posted by ArgentLupe

I'd like to see SOT's post count before agreeing or disagreeing.

SOT's Total Posts: 183

I'll just defend him 'cause he's pretty cool, and tends to not talk out of his ass too much.

[Maximilian]

Hear hear! I am another of those crotchety old farts who was around in the days of BBS and kermit and FIDONET. You do realize that the Ubercomelately usually doesn't realize he/she is such a troll but thinks his/her advice is invaluable and graces us with his/her presence. Alas, we who must suffer such fools more often wind up leaving than wasting time trying to change their mind. Might as well piss in the wind.

[Sekkira]

Total Posts: 177 (6.96 posts per day) Joined about a week before GW came out and haven't even been here for a month. But I just sit here bored (and judging by the post count, god damn I can get bored) sometimes and post in relevent topics. I learned long ago that post count or how long you've been on a forum means bugger all. Actually the post count to join date ratio probably only shows how bored and how much free time you have on your hands

[Soul Monarch]

Or, in my case, how much I spend at work unable to actually play Guild Wars.

[blythe]

Originally Posted by Soul Monarch

Or, in my case, how much I spend at work unable to actually play Guild Wars.

Replace work with school and you got me.

[sulos]

since this is the off topic forum.... "/I am using power shot on the TROLLS!"

[SOT]

Originally Posted by sulos

since this is the off topic forum.... "/I am using power shot on the TROLLS!"

Off topic forum, not nonsensical, offtopic posts per thread....Troll

[Dreamsmith]

Well, it is "Off-Topic & the Absurd", which would include the nonsensical by definition. Of course, that just means it's the appropriate place for off-topic and nonsensical threads, not that such posts can occur in any thread. Even here, threads do have topics, and posts should remain on-topic for the particular thread.

That having been said, the rant that started this thread was a bit on the absurd side to begin with. Not that it's not an interesting or serious issue, but that particular rant was over-the-top in a number of places, and interestly enough, contradicts itself or falls victim to its own critique in a couple ways. As such, a certain amount of humor and absurdity in the responses is not too surprising. If the author didn't intend the original to be at least half-humorous to begin with, he's failed, as it is quite funny in a number of places. I thought the way it often uses the techniques of the troll to highlight the actions of the troll was marvelous. (If the author didn't intend that, that just makes the irony even more marvelously funny.) When you start a thread off with a post that is itself a wonderful self-parody, humorous and absurd responses are par for the course.

Which doesn't mean it is to be dismissed without thought, either. Dave Barry is always humorous, but at his best, also quite rich and meaningful in his commentary. (Not saying this is Dave Barry quality material, mind you, just using Dave to illustrate the point of how humor can still be meaningful commentary.)

[Taphoo]

Originally Posted by SOT

“The Dark Side of Internet Forums”


I have been online a very long time. When I state this fact, I do not mean that I, like Al Gore, invented the internet, or that I helped it become what it is today.

Other then the above Republican Lie (Gore never having said that, it being created by their advertising machine, and the IDIOTS believing it...) a very humorous and informative post for the newbies out there.
FWIW, I learned the 'Net in my old UNIX days. Ah, the good ol' days....

[SOT]

Originally Posted by Taphoo

Other then the above Republican Lie (Gore never having said that, it being created by their advertising machine, and the IDIOTS believing it...) a very humorous and informative post for the newbies out there.
FWIW, I learned the 'Net in my old UNIX days. Ah, the good ol' days....

Funny. He is recorded in audio broadcasts as SPEAKING those exact words.

Absurd indeed

[Dreamsmith]

Originally Posted by SOT

Funny. He is recorded in audio broadcasts as SPEAKING those exact words.

False. What he did actually say can be found, quoted accurately, here.

[Dreamsmith]

Okay, when I need to delete six messages in a row for flaming and trolling, obviously the thread needs to be put out of our misery. (Closed.)