Malwebolence

An awesome article at the NTY on on-line trolling with reference to 4chan, Weeb and /b/tards:

Today the Internet is much more than esoteric discussion forums. It is a mass medium for defining who we are to ourselves and to others. Teenagers groom their MySpace profiles as intensely as their hair; escapists clock 50-hour weeks in virtual worlds, accumulating gold for their online avatars. Anyone seeking work or love can expect to be Googled. As our emotional investment in the Internet has grown, the stakes for trolling — for provoking strangers online — have risen. Trolling has evolved from ironic solo skit to vicious group hunt.

Some of the more creative trolling/griefing I’ve been directed to recently is the ROOMBA guys in TF2. The quiz questions part in particular is very well done, with mad props well deserved.

Posted in Linkage on Friday August 1, 2008.