I've been convinced one particular regular voat user is FBI or affiliated w/ some govt. group. You can find plenty of stories where the FBI infiltrates groups and creates "terrorists" to prosecute. In some cases they've targeted the mentally ill and in other they've offered exorbitant funding to encourage a manufactured threat. Just search it. There's no shortage of cases. I'm thinking of a particular and constant voat user that regularly encourages violence and regularly escalates conversations to death threats. I can't be the only person that has noticed this cunts pattern. Do you know who I'm talking about? When voat went down I honestly thought this cunt had created a case.
I think its a radicalization technique. The more radical you get, the more dopamine hits they give you in the form of upvotes. Seems like some Pavlovian shit to create blind hate, probably to trick people into discrediting themselves. A psyop like that would be super easy to automate with keyword scripts.
I also happen to think that on reddit they use the reverse tactic, and downvote anyone who discusses the wrong things. Repeat offenders are shadow banned.
I think its a radicalization technique. The more radical you get, the more dopamine hits they give you in the form of upvotes. Seems like some Pavlovian shit to create blind hate, probably to trick people into discrediting themselves. A psyop like that would be super easy to automate with keyword scripts.
I also happen to think that on reddit they use the reverse tactic, and downvote anyone who discusses the wrong things. Repeat offenders are shadow banned.
Yeah I don't get it, the upvote thing doesn't mean shit outside of enabling you to post more / host subs etc. When it gets too high I nearly feel embarrassed and get more and more tempted to delete and start over. You may be right though, it's definitely a recognisable tactic - I see it mostly coming out of the U.S. the fake consensus and echo chamber thing. From facebook likes, to twitter retweets, to upvotes on a news aggregate. Nearly seems less about the content and more about the consensus.
Maybe that's why there's a bit of immunity here though, at least for my generation and older. It's respected to go against the grain here (assuming you aren't being an asshole) and be the underdog. Events and people are generally judged on the content of their character. But I see the slow change as more American media is consumed. But then I see the rebellion against it too, less people plugging in their TV's. Kids growing up in the backyard again. I'm hopeful.
Yeah I don't get it, the upvote thing doesn't mean shit outside of enabling you to post more / host subs etc. When it gets too high I nearly feel embarrassed and get more and more tempted to delete and start over. You may be right though, it's definitely a recognisable tactic - I see it mostly coming out of the U.S. the fake consensus and echo chamber thing. From facebook likes, to twitter retweets, to upvotes on a news aggregate. Nearly seems less about the content and more about the consensus.
Maybe that's why there's a bit of immunity here though, at least for my generation and older. It's respected to go against the grain here (assuming you aren't being an asshole) and be the underdog. Events and people are generally judged on the content of their character. But I see the slow change as more American media is consumed. But then I see the rebellion against it too, less people plugging in their TV's. Kids growing up in the backyard again. I'm hopeful.
It's respected to go against the grain here (assuming you aren't being an asshole) and be the underdog.
See, that's what actually drew me to voat (then whoaverse) in the first place. I left reddit when Swartz sold his stake in the company, and there was at least a couple years where I didn't post on any form of social media. Eventually I stumbled across whoaverse, just weeks before the name change. Back then it was easily the highest concentration of intelligent libertarians, peaceful anarchists, conspiracy theorists, and contrarians anywhere online. And even while 4chan was sold out, reddit went censor-crazy, and youtube was destroyed by google, voat abided.
But it would seem it was lower on the to-do list of the people intent on ruining the internet.
But then I see the rebellion against it too, less people plugging in their TV's. Kids growing up in the backyard again. I'm hopeful.
I'm hopeful as well. If there's one good thing about the internet going to shit over the last 10-15 years, its that the best among us are going afk more and more. I hear intelligent political discussion in diners and barber shops. I see the looks people give when they notice a tv showing cable news at the local bar or in an airport terminal. People are sick to death of the way things are, but they just don't know what to do about it yet. But one way or another, I'm positive they'll figure it out.
>It's respected to go against the grain here (assuming you aren't being an asshole) and be the underdog.
See, that's what actually drew me to voat (then whoaverse) in the first place. I left reddit when Swartz sold his stake in the company, and there was at least a couple years where I didn't post on any form of social media. Eventually I stumbled across whoaverse, just weeks before the name change. Back then it was easily the highest concentration of intelligent libertarians, peaceful anarchists, conspiracy theorists, and contrarians anywhere online. And even while 4chan was sold out, reddit went censor-crazy, and youtube was destroyed by google, voat abided.
But it would seem it was lower on the to-do list of the people intent on ruining the internet.
>But then I see the rebellion against it too, less people plugging in their TV's. Kids growing up in the backyard again. I'm hopeful.
I'm hopeful as well. If there's one good thing about the internet going to shit over the last 10-15 years, its that the best among us are going afk more and more. I hear intelligent political discussion in diners and barber shops. I see the looks people give when they notice a tv showing cable news at the local bar or in an airport terminal. People are sick to death of the way things are, but they just don't know what to do about it yet. But one way or another, I'm positive they'll figure it out.
I'll agree with you on the style of posts thing. I generally keep things civil with perhaps a few contextual exceptions. I even tried to give a reasonable assessment of the JQ from an entirely rational point of view to both naysayers and zealots. Besides a few upvotes no one replied with any retort or concessions and went straight back to the same shit the next day. Felt like they were bots or some shit. Had that honeypot feel to it like cuckchan does.
A lot of the time it's just not worth the energy to engage.