Trollhunters: The bane of MumsNet

[TaiShanShe]

Several regular users seem to make it their life's work to troll hunt on MN, even when posts are quite plausibly genuine. It's becoming a regular occurrence for posts to be taken down just simply because of the sheer amount of reports a post gets, rather than for genuine cause. But what is this doing to MN? How can we expect people to be open with their expressions/feelings/ life stories if they are questioned for being trolls and reported if there is even the hint of disagreement etc. (Thoughts here are from observing the Parishioner and the Hat thread, but are also based on many other threads I've followed here)

When someone starts troll hunting on a thread it biases other people. As soon as someone questions it, everyone begins to feel doubt. Just report to MNHQ and let them decide.

However, I think sometimes MNHQ tend to believe people just because they are regular users (ie they check if a user has just name changed). Personally, I found the Parisioner and the Hat thread (like the name - sounds like a Sherlock Holmes story) perfectly plausible but I thought it became very offensive and should have been taken down. I did report several troll hunters on there.

Hahah, it does indeed! I agree, I actually think the OP on that thread was rather hard done by. They were clearly upset and I was reading comments like "It's not happening to you" etc. and regular users banding together to try and take the OP down. Taking it down was in the best interest of everyone but it happens so often on MN

Sorry, no. I don't agree with your title, OP. It's the trolls that are the bane of Mumsnet. Without trolls - and buckets of them - they'd be no trollhunters.

I find it less annoying than "goady" which seems to be a way of shutting down someone. If it's one of those recognisable usernames then people tend to back away from what could be an interesting thread.

I agree @JanDough

@TheClaws Of course the trolls came first, but it must have made everyone paranoid, ready to call troll on a hair trigger on genuine posts

Is a reverse a troll? Or not?

I love a little bit of troll hunting and a touch of goady thrown in. It adds a bit of spice.

well never really know if any of us are telling fibs? For sure

It's too overdone to be spice, no?

@HellyWelly10 Exactly so I'm not really sure why there are people who spend so long scrutinising a post to see if it's "genuine"

The sheer amount of trolls has made readers wary of OPs. It's unavoidable.

I do think some people just enjoy it though, like get a satisfaction from calling troll and reporting

"like get a satisfaction from calling troll and reporting"

Not the reporting but I agree with you with the "calling". My amateur (as in zero qualifications) psychologists opinion is that it's all about forming an in group and, by extension, an out group.

People like being part of in group and you can see it everywhere you look. It might be the 'TERF and proud' or 'we're so cool we know you're a troll' or religion or 'anyone but a Tory' or the PTA etc.

People need to feel like they belong and they try to emulate the actions of those they think already belong to that group.

@JanDough I completely agree with your social psych analysis! If you happened to follow the Hat/Parishioner thread, there were at least 25 people reporting and calling troll, one after the other. I'm sure most people don't report lightly but it seems calling troll and reporting threads happens way too often

I find sometimes people are very easily duped by a troll (eg. Cakezilla, Chester Zoo ... ). On some threads posters get quite emotionally involved - this is where trolls can do damage and it's probably one of the reasons they like MN. A little hint to point out the hairy hands can be useful.

What about the person that screamed at the Michelangelo though? Loads of people trollhunting as well as the OP trolling on that thread but it was just plain hilarious

little hint to point out the hairy hands can be useful

I have no idea what this means.

But, I do agree the trolls are damaging and in the right context calling them out early on is helpful, but it happens way too often on posts as a way of taking down posts people just don't like or don't agree with

It means - it tips people off before they become further invested in a troll's thread.

Mission it might have been hilarious, but it encourages others trolls - and they may not be so funny.

Gotcha, thanks for explaining.

YANBU troll hunting is worse than trolling

I do find that I feel a bit humiliated if I have sympathised and given advice and then discovered that it is a troll. It makes me less likely to believe another poster and a bit reluctant to give advice. Trollhunting is damaging though because is biases other people. Just report and hope MNHQ make the right decision.

Hairy hands just makes me think about the hairy hands of Dartmoor. My DB used to scare the hell out of me telling me that story when we were driving around Dartmoor as children!

Whooshand so if I make up a story about my DP leaving me with our triplets every single night, while he goes out for a drink, and I can’t get him to come home even though I text him endlessly [insert text]. Posters then pile in with suggested texts, etc., LTB, support services, stories of their own - and I embellish my story, add some fresh texts, maybe an argument or two to keep things going. All of this is bollocks. Is that okay with you then, because I’m a troll not a trollhunter?

I think the bigger problem is the trolls.

I feel like this thread is done so often now but I don't think there's anything wrong with people pointing out the piss troll to stop people sharing stories for him to get off too.