To be more suspicious of disingenuous threads nowadays?

HillyHoney · 2025-12-27T19:25:39+00:00

I might be imagining this, but are there now a lot more threads along the lines of "AIBU to think that this [insert terrible thing] my [insert close relatives] do is actually not great? Just doesn't sit right with me, but maybe I'm wrong!" Tinkly little laugh implied. It's usually qualified by a casual mention, as if not at all relevant, that the OP is saintly, moral and humble in various ways whereas the [terrible relatives] have also been in prison/are murderers/don't like puppies etc. Are these increasing just to generate engagement and therefore ad clicks?? Who's writing them?! (Sorry, dont mean to be disingenuous there 🤣)

Original poster

HillyHoney · 08/01/2026 18:16

Bonsoir suspicious ones! Just saw another of what I'm terming "Only the OP can win" threads, and thought of this one 🤣 hope everyone is remaining cynical in 2026!

OP posts:

Original poster

HillyHoney · 29/12/2025 20:27

Oh God @Augarden, Reddit is an absolute binfire 99% of the time!! The first time I naively used it to ask a question about a skin infection, I had a message within 10 mins from a bloke telling me he was a doctor who could diagnose me via photo...needless to say, he didn't seem to need photos of the infection, just of me with no clothes on 😱

It's quite good for very niche subs though - there's quite a good one for my sector/industry.

OP posts:

Augarden · 29/12/2025 20:11

I spend more time here these days than Reddit because I think there's MORE genuine human activity here than Reddit (also the humans are fellow adult women and not 20 year old boys 😂). But I'll have to be vigilant!

Jonnyenglish · 29/12/2025 20:07

santasbaubles · 27/12/2025 20:08

The AI-written posts stand out a mile. Lists of three, emojis, em-dashes and Oxford commas abound. I hate it. I’d rather read imperfect grammar than AI slop.

we had some with whole chunks of text spelling errors grammer errors etc back in the day and a few refused to engage so in some ways the old days were not better

Original poster

HillyHoney · 29/12/2025 20:04

Ministerofmumbles · 29/12/2025 19:44

I agree and it’s because there are many posters that engage with the thread, where it then really takes off.

There’s a clever poster who I’ve noticed is derailing some of these threads by talking about something totally unrelated - I think maybe this is the way to go if you’re not allowed to troll hunt or Mumsnet won’t delete.

Edited

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I like that plan 😁

I suppose I can't blame AI entirely - I mean, there's always been trolls, and you never know who's telling the truth and who isn't on an anonymous forum. One should maintain a sort of cynical caveat emptor approach in theory, but that's a tad depressing!

I remember trolls on the handbag.com forums many moons ago, but we didn't know what to call them then!

OP posts:

Ministerofmumbles · 29/12/2025 19:44

tumbletoast · 29/12/2025 19:30

Only so they can get away with leaving troll threads to stand (to drive traffic etc) despite people reporting them in line with the talk guidelines.

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I agree and it’s because there are many posters that engage with the thread, where it then really takes off.

There’s a clever poster who I’ve noticed is derailing some of these threads by talking about something totally unrelated - I think maybe this is the way to go if you’re not allowed to troll hunt or Mumsnet won’t delete.

tumbletoast · 29/12/2025 19:30

SixtySomething · 29/12/2025 18:14

But if you say something is fake, the comment is deleted. You’re not allowed to to say that.

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Only so they can get away with leaving troll threads to stand (to drive traffic etc) despite people reporting them in line with the talk guidelines.

SixtySomething · 29/12/2025 18:14

Gottobebannee · 28/12/2025 12:07

I've had 3 of my recent threads declared fake by other users.

Some people are far too suspicious. If someone calls it early on, the thread dies.

But if you say something is fake, the comment is deleted. You’re not allowed to to say that.

Followthatpath · 29/12/2025 16:54

There’s probably a whole load of £££-making activity going on. Selling stories to journalists, advert funding by Ann Summers and the like, plus fake posts so we keep the momentum going… they have to make their money somehow!

Bridesmaidorexfriend · 29/12/2025 13:05

HillyHoney · 29/12/2025 11:33

I know! 😁

The thread that sort of tipped me over the edge is STILL going, and people are so unbelievably invested, and continually replying in good faith. I know it's not my problem that people waste their time like this but I can't bloody help being annoyed, especially when over the years I've seen so many genuinely helpful threads and posters.

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What thread is it? lol

HappyFace2025 · 29/12/2025 11:42

VanillaIceIceBaby · 28/12/2025 09:04

Half the threads aren’t real. Probably more. You just have to accept that I think. I’ve just read an op where the writer is up in arms because her twenty year old son has told her his girlfriend is pregnant but the op is thirty eight so….

I noticed that one! And thought WTF 😂

Noshadelamp · 29/12/2025 11:34

EmpressaurusKitty · 27/12/2025 20:06

The ones I notice are the ‘…Please share your stories! I’d love to hear your tips / hacks / ideas!’

All spammy bollocks meant to guide users to somebody’s blog.

Or content for lazy journalists!

Original poster

HillyHoney · 29/12/2025 11:33

ABeerInTheSunshineMakesMeHappy · 29/12/2025 11:29

A rather ironic post 🤣

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I know! 😁

The thread that sort of tipped me over the edge is STILL going, and people are so unbelievably invested, and continually replying in good faith. I know it's not my problem that people waste their time like this but I can't bloody help being annoyed, especially when over the years I've seen so many genuinely helpful threads and posters.

OP posts:

ThatJadeLion · 29/12/2025 11:33

Thr poster with SIL in hospital that got caught out lying finished me off (sorry can't remember details). It has got worse or we're better at spotting it, I'm not sure.

ABeerInTheSunshineMakesMeHappy · 29/12/2025 11:29

Catwalking · 28/12/2025 12:44

Bit odd to waste your time starting this?
Just pass these ‘disingenuous threads’, by 🤷‍♀️.

A rather ironic post 🤣

Overalls · 28/12/2025 17:51

EligibleTern · 28/12/2025 16:45

Or they come back with "This isn't something I've personally experienced, but it's a trend I've been hearing a lot about" or something equally vague.

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Despite their, "I just wondered what other people think about this" they always keep hammering away at the same point, not taking any views on board and, with every answer, slightly changing their angle and never replying to any specific questions.

EligibleTern · 28/12/2025 16:54

BabyLikesMsRachel · 28/12/2025 16:49

And the AI list of 3 that it loves

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And the "pithy" username created for that specific topic.

BabyLikesMsRachel · 28/12/2025 16:49

Ministerofmumbles · 28/12/2025 15:45

To think that a lot of hairdressers lack social skills, etiquette and basic boundaries?

Yet another inane thread just posted on aibu - same style, same word salad and just constant.

And the AI list of 3 that it loves

EligibleTern · 28/12/2025 16:45

Overalls · 28/12/2025 16:27

I've replied to that one just to see if the OP comes back. The generally just melt away like snow.

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Or they come back with "This isn't something I've personally experienced, but it's a trend I've been hearing a lot about" or something equally vague.

Overalls · 28/12/2025 16:27

Ministerofmumbles · 28/12/2025 15:45

To think that a lot of hairdressers lack social skills, etiquette and basic boundaries?

Yet another inane thread just posted on aibu - same style, same word salad and just constant.

I've replied to that one just to see if the OP comes back. The generally just melt away like snow.

Bridesmaidorexfriend · 28/12/2025 16:09

I’ve noticed a theme of a man posting asking if he is unreasonable but then goes on to describe a senario where no one could ever say he is unreasonable and his gf/mother of his child is some incels wet dream of what they think women are like. Everyone loves to tell the OP how perfect they are and any criticism is quickly batted away as ‘you wouldn’t say that if woman posted this’.

It’s pure misogyny fanfic and I think it’s probably the same poster as the style is always the same

Edited to say - the woman is always low earning, a single parent prior to meeting, doesn’t contribute and exploits the OP for his money. She is always abusive and controlling.

Ministerofmumbles · 28/12/2025 15:45

To think that a lot of hairdressers lack social skills, etiquette and basic boundaries?

Yet another inane thread just posted on aibu - same style, same word salad and just constant.

UncannyFanny · 28/12/2025 15:29

SwanNecked · 28/12/2025 13:15

That makes absolutely no sense, unless your experience of ‘the internet’ is limited to chat boards.

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That’s just a basic overview , obviously it goes much deeper than just discussion forums. Google Dead Internet Theory. It will explain it in far more detail.

Ladymuckypuddle · 28/12/2025 15:26

A lot of threads on mumsnet are just Internet trends a few days or weeks behind the trend. Such as the it's 5 minutes past twelve on Christmas day that's it am taking my tree down or the supermarket sent me nuggets instead of a turkey. Mumsnet doesn't have the same interest to me anymore because I've seen it all on ticktock days before. Majority of threads are rinse and repeated from way back in the day. Put a thread name into Google and the same thread comes up covering a span of 20 years. Add in the meanness and man hating and it's just not a great place to be anymore which is such a shame its really quite here now compared to what it used to be like.

EmpressaurusKitty · 28/12/2025 15:24

EveSix · 28/12/2025 14:15

It irritates me a bit that accurate grammar (whaaat is wrong with a pair of dashes -every primary school child learns how to use them) and a decent turn of phrase gets presumably genuine posters accused of being AI bots. It's as if we expect communication to be slapdash, or think this is more normal or authentic than succinct, correctly punctuated posts. 'Well written' is a communication style too!

It’s not about perfect grammar though. AI posts often sound quite generic & have a kind of impersonal cheeriness, & they often have bullet points and subtitles.

The probable biggest giveaway is that they usually don’t come back to the thread & if they do, it will be another generic post.