AIBU in suspecting that MN start threads to increase site traffic

[Newbutoldfather]

When I first looked at MN, the best part of 20 years ago, the popular threads were on parenting, health, FWR and a couple of others. And there were loads of posters!

Now there seem to be fewer posters and the ‘normal’ type threads that were the stock-in-trade of MN seem to get little traction. I think AI has had a role here. Many of those questions are well answered by an AI query.

OTOH, there are a lot of ‘exciting’ threads started where the OP contributes relatively little for a few hours and then disappears, and they keep going until often full. Sometimes they are deleted later. There are at least two that I contributed to early now which are still going.

Of course there are loads of genuine trolls (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms!) but it’s also great for MN, increases the value of advertising and, if the site is for sale, will increase the value.

Of course, maybe they are all trolls, but Occam’s razor kind of says that it wouldn’t be hard for employees of MN to quietly and anonymously start these threads which are very helpful for the site.

Of course we can never know the answer, but it is odd.

IDK for certain but I have noticed that AMA used to be a rarely used not very busy topic until about two months ago when it suddenly exploded with lots of very unusual people deciding to start threads about their bizarre circumstances. Maybe it’s just some odd trend.

Not sure about MN, but I'm sure there's bots/AI starting controversial threads as click bait/to influence politics, just as there is on Facebook, tiktok etc.
I can imagine it might be difficult to police, but also not in MNs best interests to get rid...

majority of threads are now made up

‘majority of threads are now made up’

Majority seems extreme. What makes you think that?

Not sure who is starting them but yes, something has changed. The site is dominated by ‘outraged’ and ‘concerned’ posters and weird threads about improbable situations. Even the ‘normal’ threads are written in weird convoluted language (E.g ‘Took my baby to the doctors’ has become ‘Myself and DS gained access to a medical appointment’). Zero humour anymore.

No, I think everyone seems to think that because a scenario is unusual or hasn’t ever happened to them, that it must be a troll/MNHQ and can’t possibly be real…. A couple of times I’ve been in a situation or had a complex predicament and thought about posting a thread but haven’t as I knew I’d immediately be declared a troll! Simply because it was an unusual situation

Proof? Or are you simply declaring this based on a hunch?!?

Definitely.

Do you remember when they had that feature “how many are reading now” or similar & it was really low numbers. I think they have struggled to attract new posters & many have aged with the site.

@Foolish1984 ,

I am not really saying just on the basis of a weird scenario.

It is the inconsistent language in the OP’s style, seeming either semiliterate or EAL and then starting to talk about misandry (for instance!).

It is also the long and detailed first post, the engagement with short further posts for a couple of hours and then vanishing into thin air, as the thread runs to 40 pages.

Im pretty sure they start threads related to stuff they are advertising. For example if theres a 'promoted by mumsnet' thread on lunchboxes, they might start other threads like 'what are some suggestions for lunchboxes'

It’s posters who reply with a response they got from ChatGPT that piss me right off - unless they admit they have used it.

There seem to be clumps of threads about the same thing - in the last week I’ve read three threads about people getting into traffic/driving arguments in the community and the police turning up a couple of hours later. Before that there was a plethora about people taking a dispute from 0 to 100mph (the supermarket one where op called a jobsworth a cunt, someone snapping back at MIL at a party etc). I’ve started to presume similar threads are AI generated tbh.

I don’t know whether MN is behind it or it’s just general trolling/fishing, but there’s been an extraordinary number of “AIBU to have acted like an unhinged lunatic towards a stranger” threads recently.

I used to think Zombie threads were just that.
MN staffers just picking at random.
But having said that, I've just brought one back to life because of a new doc on the same subject, rather than starting a new thread on it.
Have noticed more A.I. now.
I still hop onto Reddit mn trolls to check I am not wasting my time. They spot quite a few still.
What surprised me, knowing MN was popular with subscribers, is seeing that even a trending or popular thread only has 50 odd active views.
I don't know about other fora or chatrooms but thought it was more substantially more than just a few of us procrastinating/wasting time on here when, at any one given time, it might not ever be more than a couple of hundred i need to get a life

@EllaVatimeI think the active users are pretty low now or lower than I expected.. I recognise lots of the same user names & people change names but you can still notice their style.

For a while there were a lot of suspicious threads that were rewrites of previous popular threads, with all of the same details. Posters consistently called them out as duplicates and then it seemed to stop. Most people seemed to think it was MN trying to recycle old threads for new engagement.

What I am certain of is that they now allow obvious troll threads to continue as long as there’s engagement, even if it’s the poo troll or other similar ones that they used to delete. I could see how that gives people the impression that they are the ones starting them, though in that case I think it’s just them lowering standards for the sake of ad views.

Some interesting replies! As I said, it’s not something one can ever know the answer to. But a lot of you are noticing the same patterns that I am.

And how quiet the site has become.

Yup. Cheap engagement, mostly with people who don’t read OPs posts. If you do make the effort to read all OPs posts it’s usually fairly obvious to find inconsistencies.

And how quiet the site has become.

Maybe because of the six week school holidays? Peraps more people will come back when the kids go back?

I was just thinking the same thing! The police rarely come out for anything these days even an in progress burglary and yet they can come out after a complaint of argumentative language? I don’t think MN themselves are necessarily posting but I do wonder if people are bored and like the drama of a juicy thread?

There’s one today that has ended with the OP calling the police on her mother, with inconsistencies from her thread yesterday and I’m currently having my posts on yesterdays thread deleted.

And you never get an explanation.

Someone else in site stuff is querying deleted posts as well.

I think she's probably right. I think a huge percentage are made up by mumsnet for the money making reasons you mentioned. I suppose the question is does it matter if we're daft enough to engage with it. I've spent the last 2 days going back and forth with a troll. I'd put money on that being Mumsnet. No idea why I do it!

I’m on it more during the hols! I think the average user has dc well past school age tbh.

Looking at the threads where people have a situation and their age comes into it, I think way more women are out of the ‘active’ childcare ages, or have no children, and so the summer holidays wouldn’t particularly affect them.

Also when people reference a show they liked or something they remember it’s always from decades ago