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Results suggests trolls aren't seeking praise or wanting to manipulate; other studies indicate they may breed more. While it's important to preface what is to follow with a reminder that correlation doth not causation make, a new study [Pay Walled, Abstract Available] has found seemingly clear ties between internet trolling and a person's likelihood of being predisposed to the "Dark Triad." [Pay Walled, Abstract Available] But more interestingly it finds that only one particular negative personality trait is stroked by trollish behavior and its findings suggest trolls may be breeding.
The paper's critical finding was that the Dark Triad of personality traits were often correlated, or in other words someone who was narcissistic would be more likely to be psychopathic, and so on, statistically speaking.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/02/12/online-trolls-are-just-everyday-sadists-according-to-new-paper/
http://www.dailytech.com/Study+Internet+Trolls+are+the+Prototypical+Everyday+Sadists/article36091.htm
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday June 23 2014, @01:45PM
The problem isn't with AC. AC does give people a mostly anonymous platform to voice their opinion. Plenty of times over the years on /. people have voiced their opinion about sensitive topics or avoiding revealing themselves by using AC. The problem lies within people who can't help but feed the trolls. The whole point of trolling is to start a flame war or piss as many people off as possible. They get to be a dick with 0 repercussions. Just throw out an insult about X and reap the butt-hurt reward.
The best defence is modding down and then ignoring them. But there is always captain internet justice, an idiot that can't resist typing up a thesis with the smug thought that they are schooling the troll. That is the trolls target. Someone who can't resist trying to look like a hero by tearing the trolls post apart. They waste an hour or more carefully crafting a response only to have the troll laugh at them for wasting time. That or a starting a religious war by sparking a silly argument. Just go to any Apple story and say Apple sucks because of X and watch the shit storm that ensues.
And I must admit it but there are PLENTY of non AC posters who are dicks. I have a pet name for those DB's on that other site: slashdicks. I have a foe list made up exclusively of people who are complete asperger shit bags who don't care they're not AC. They will happily talk down to someone tossing out as many hurtful insults as possible to make themselves feel superior. I had one twat actually tell me my head should be bashed in because of how I choose to drive. I added him to the shit list (foes) then tracked him for a bit and witnessed him write another post telling the editor of a story that he should die in a car crash. Yea, this guy was advocating violence and murder for the most mundane of things. Did he post AC, NOPE!
So in summary, AC isnt bad, its people who feed the trolls who are to blame. Just read the article and if you spot a troll comment, LEAVE IT ALONE. If a person is showing ignorance, dont be a dick and try to feel smug, politely correct them. Being a dick will also bring out the worst in people as they lash out in defence.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday June 23 2014, @09:04PM
Go pick any article from any topic on /. your choice, count the number of ACs, ok? Now count how many of those are actually worth reading and compare it to how many are just obvious douchebaggery...I'll wait. Wow, you are looking at a good 9 to 1 douchebag ratio huh?
What you are arguing is a variation of the "limewire can be used for Linux distros" argument which actual observance proves incorrect. Just because something CAN be used for X does NOT mean that X is the most popular use for the thing or that X is even in the minority. Go do the math yourself, really not hard, shouldn't take more than a few minutes to just pick say 3 random articles on /. and compare the "good AC" to douchebag and see that good AC posts are not even close to being a majority and are in fact a teeny tiny minority compared top its largest use which is trolling and derailing threads.
But you see this is what makes the NO AC button a brilliant idea...you like ACs? just don't push the button, its THAT easy. The NO AC button would let guys like you keep it if you want while guys like me don't have to deal with AC bullshit because for us AC posts would no longer exist...now isn't that fair? Letting the users decide whether they want the ACs or not? And all other methods of dealing with ACs simply do not work, hell look at me, it says plainly that I surf at +2 so I don't see ACs yet I still get ACs trying to troll me in the hopes that I might be surfing at -2 that day. With NO AC they would be able to see an icon by my name so that would know 100% without a doubt that "trying to troll this person is pointless, he'll never know you even exist" which should cut down on the amount of trolling, and on the flipside there are plenty of UID users here that go against groupthink and get downmodded and because I have to surf at +2 just to get rid of ACs I don't get to see these posts when I really do want to see all the UID posts.
So in conclusion the current methods we have for dealing with ACs simply doesn't work, my method would be a user choice, not enabled by default, and would allow guys like you to go through the whole friend/foe/freak/AC bullshit while the rest of us could just click a button and call it a day.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.