Our experiments taught us why people troll
You might think that trolling on the internet is done by a small, vocal minority of sociopaths. But what if all trolls aren’t born trolls? What if they are ordinary people like you and me?
You might think that trolling on the internet is done by a small, vocal minority of sociopaths. But what if all trolls aren’t born trolls? What if they are ordinary people like you and me?
Some behaviors might help tell propaganda-spewing trolls apart from regular internet users, but the main protection is for people to think more critically about online information.
Cybersecurity experts in the US knew about Russian intelligence agencies’ activities, but may not have had any idea how comprehensive and integrated they were – until now.
A social media researcher explains how bots and sock puppet accounts manipulate and polarize public debate.
Automated systems that watch online chats and flag racist, sexist and bullying behavior could help curtail internet abuse.
Nobody loves patent trolls. But new legislation in Congress aimed at the trolls isn’t necessary, since the effects of recent patent reforms are only starting to be felt.
Russian-affiliated Twitter accounts changed what they posted about, and used both text and images in ways that shed light on how these information warriors work.
An analysis of social media troll activity during the 2016 election campaign shows that exposure to Russian propaganda may have helped change American minds in favor of Republican candidate Trump.
Anti-vaccine info online might have foreign roots and political aims.
How do diverse movies fare in the international box office? What time do trolls like to post their comments? We look back on some of this year’s most intriguing graphs and maps.