Is there loads more trolls around this week?

[Theleaveswillbefalling]

Or is it just me spotting them more often? Or are more people having extreme and implausible lives?

Are there more trolls?

I must admit I am rubbish at spotting trolls 😁

Many new posts recently seem to be either written by bots or Chat GPT. They have a heavy USA bias and write like episodes of Dawsons Creek.

The kids are getting bored, schools all be back soon.

It's heaving with them on here, especially the 'I'm a woman but women are really crap aren't they' variety. This is closely followed by the 'MN has shocking double standards!' type; and 'I read a thread on AIBU and YOUR ALL HIPPOCRITES'.

This, coupled with app users who don't read the OP's posts and a generous helping of AI stirred through, is making for a fairly bizarre experience these days.

I hope it improves - but on the other hand I have a lot of work to be getting on with in RL, so silver linings and all that.

No, the adults are getting bored.

It's the same every school holiday, the trolling and bullshit posts reach a peak.

But no self-respecting kid would take to trolling Mumsnet when there are sites like Twitter/Insta/Reddit etc to be trolling on.

I have noticed big rise in opening posts ending with, "Anyone else got any similar stories?"

That just screams journo to me.

No. I have blunt and old fashioned opinions. May be they do come out sometimes like your chauvinist rude granny would speak without any sense of pride and prejudice or sense and sensitivity but other than that I am a very fair and caring woman. From abroad also. That is always to come through

It's heaving with them on here, especially the 'I'm a woman but women are really crap aren't they' variety. This is closely followed by the 'MN has shocking double standards!' type; and 'I read a thread on AIBU and YOUR ALL HIPPOCRITES'.

Oh dear... I've just come from one of those double standards threads 😂 but yes OP, there does seem to be more trolling lately. I'm guessing it's more waiting for college to start than school though as the posts tend to have a certain nastier/incel ish flavour.

Even waiting for college to start doesn't make sense.

I'd say the vast majority of trolls are adult MNetters because they mostly know the site inside out, and know exactly what buttons to push.

My favourites are the posters who explain an inplausable scenario to which the average person points out that the OP is in the wrong or being unreasonable etc.
The OP then comes back with multiple posts (usually just minutes apart) arguing every single point and when people are still disagreeing they start drip-feeding "facts" in an attempt to turn everyone's opinions.

Can usually spot these early on and love watching them.😆

I think they are adults. I don't think many kids or teenagers know what MN is and if they did wouldn't be bothered.

I think they are adults who know MN so well they can get a 3 thread saga going or know which threads will get some MNers frothing. There are some very gullible posters on here who seem to believe any old bollocks that is posted.

@AutumnCrow "Hippocrites"? I though he was an ancient Greek physician?
If the spelling is very poor, the grammar very bad and the story a bit extreme, I do wonder but I don't automatically presume they're a troll in those cases. Maybe I need to up my troll-spotting game? The ones that show a pattern of covert misogyny or any sort of abuse-apologistics ( is that even a word? My own spelling and grammar aren't always up to par!) are very suspect though!
What gives them away to you? I'd appreciate some pointers so I don't let them waste any of my time!

@Blubbled I tend to beware the carefully placed faux spelling error in a thread that has otherwise been quite carefully designed to - in the MN environment - push buttons. I think that a classic giveaway is where someone decides to start a thread on why a particular politician is ALL WRONG and then can't even spell the name correctly. Same with some celebrities.

I suspect it's to make the dodgy poster seem more like a 'regular Jo' and less like a member of a particular party / activist movement / organisation.

This peaked during the election period.

Yes, lots of posts saying 'tell me your stories' or people wanting to talk about manhoods in a faux-naive way, or the other one asking about suspender belts and people who post something controversial then never come back and dont get me started on the people who can barely string a sentence together.

It's getting irritating.

You actually think school aged children sign up to a forum and make stuff up? Are these children whose devices dont have tiktok or YouTube or Snapchat, no Xboxes or PlayStations or Netflix?

Or did you mean teachers?

Or did you mean teachers?

Oooh controversial 🤣🍿

This week? But it's only Monday!!

@AutumnCrow Thanks for that, I'll keep an eye out!

It's definitely ramped up last few weeks. And definitely adults, not kids. Teenagers really don't have the inclination or attention span to be starting troll threads on a parent's forum.