
Here's how I handle online abuse - MagicAndi
https://www.troyhunt.com/heres-how-i-handle-online-abuse/
======
MagicAndi
An interesting article that shows the vitriol that some feel obliged to throw
at others who are successful. The takewaway from the article is that life is
too short to try and reason with a troll, so ignore them and move on.

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dredmorbius
The advice is pretty good, and covers a large number of cases. It's close to
my own formulation, discovered on G+: "Block fuckwits".[1]

The solution is one that works well _where it is afforded_ , and breaks down
pretty badly where it isn't. I noticed this quite especially on Imzy, a new
site pitched as a "kinder, gentler Reddit", and claiming several ex-Reddit
employees among its own founders. The site combines a number of profoundly
dysfunctional dynamics, including pervasive _single-instance_ anonymity,
inability to block anonymous tormenters, and several UI/UX patterns which
exacerbate the situation, as well as a founding user cohort already exploiting
the opportunities afforded. I have been, and will be, critical of the site on
account that its own top management, including Dan McComas, CEO, seem entirely
insensitive to compound issues.[2]

There's another problem where the administrators of a site, either volunteers
or (as in the case of Imzy) management and employees create or foster a
hostile environment. One of the more salient criticisms of Wikipedia is the
article-squatting which occurs by entrenched interests (often manifesting as
edit wars), particularly over politically-charged issues, though petit wars
can also emerge on obscure topics. I'd posted Peter Strempel's criticisms of
Wikipedia to HN a day or so back,[3] even though I disagree with many of his
conclusions and don't quite understand his goals (he and I have been
discussing the matter at G+). I've witnessed the issue myself most especially
on global climate change and related articles, particularly those involving
the Koch Brothers (or their various companies and political-influence
"charities"), or organisations emerging from the Mont Pelerin Society and
Atlas Network (including many Koch-associated institutions).

Reddit certainly has its problems of moderator capture / squatting, including
such incongruencies as the xkcd forum falling prey to a set of MRA, neonazi,
and Holocaust-denying interests.[4]

Scott Alexander's _Slate Star Codex_ has some excellent discussions of toxic
dynamics among online communities, most especially "The Toxoplasma of
Rage".[5] There's much prior art going back to Charles Mackay & John
Templeton's _Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds_ , and
Gustave le Bon's _The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind_ (both available via
the Internet Archive's truly amazing books collection).

________________________________

Notes:

1\.
[https://plus.google.com/104092656004159577193/posts/drLZV8sm...](https://plus.google.com/104092656004159577193/posts/drLZV8sm7Tq)

2\. See for general issues:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/dredmorbius/comments/500ysb/the_imz...](https://www.reddit.com/r/dredmorbius/comments/500ysb/the_imzy_experience_well_that_escalated_quickly/)
For problems and failures of oversight, see:
[https://ello.co/dredmorbius/post/qdxyzy2x4lbaq_4rx81nnw](https://ello.co/dredmorbius/post/qdxyzy2x4lbaq_4rx81nnw)

3\. [http://peterstrempel.com/index.php/culture/phantoms-of-
fear-...](http://peterstrempel.com/index.php/culture/phantoms-of-fear-and-
loathing/) for g G+ discussion:
[https://plus.google.com/+PeterStrempel/posts/Rbm6AusBgmt](https://plus.google.com/+PeterStrempel/posts/Rbm6AusBgmt)

4\. Discussed briefly among other issues with Reddit:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/dredmorbius/comments/20yhxc/reddit_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/dredmorbius/comments/20yhxc/reddit_and_community_what_works_what_raises_flags/)

5\. [http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-
rage/](http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage/)

