Online politics: a parliament house of trolls and anonymous screen names

Facebook and other social media sites have become famous, or infamous, with the negative attributes which they afford themselves so easily. These might be things like trolling (basically spamming), anonymous slander and of course, and most worrying, cyber bullying. However tragic the outcomes and affects on people's "real" lives that these negative online social trends have on people, the value of the internet and interactive websites such as chat-rooms and social sites has in an ideal scenario is phenomenal and is the reason the internet was so anticipated on its' arrival.

In a big world which is getting smaller by the day, the positives of the internet and applications or programs such as Skype or video chat means the barriers of distance and time are not really barriers anymore. In an age when political advertising has taken the internet and Youtube even by storm, the value and investment placed in internet politicking and campaigning, plus the great opportunity social sites and the internet as a whole enables people to vocalise and legitimise their views, it is no wonder that internet is now the forum for political debate.

The social media site I have selected is in  fact a Facebook Group, one which has been going for a long time and which I have been a member of, although more silently in recent months. The group is called 'Australian Federal Government | A Forum for your say' (see link below):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/afgforum/members/

It is an "open" group enabling the public and non-members to see the goings on of the interactions, this is done in an effort to keep the discussion across the field and hopefully well behaved. As expected it is a virtual zoo! We see examples, albeit exaggerations, of your normal school cafeteria pick 'n' mix. There are bullies AKA trolls and hacks, there are moderators AKA lunch duty teachers, regular participators AKA the flock and then there are the silent observers who on occasion "follow" a post or "like" many, many comments without contributing an opinion themselves.

The internet and the sub-culture of anonymous trolling is never given enough credit for being more accurate of real life social scenarios and players, and sadly this group- which specialises in political discussion- is as you can imagine a powder keg of personalities!

Do I love it or hate it? I have both a LOL in me for some posts and carry on but I also have a cynical side (as most who carry on a little bit themselves often do). Trolling and all the like have become so intriguing to social behaviour and psychology experts that many academics and journalists have attempted to tackle the strange and very modern social trend with both a sense of urgency out of genuine care for the risks cyber bullying can toll, but also out of curiosity in trying to identity the psyche of the Cyber Bully's underling- the Troll.

I hope you all click over and have a look at the group yourselves, either as a genuine participant, otherwise pick your favourite fictional character, open a fake email account and hide under the bridge that is anonymous online politicking and trolling. Maybe I will see you there in that world of pure imagination, either way it will certainly be a site worth watching. There will be must to sift through and to keep tabs on and of the years it has been active aint nothing compares to the last legs of an election campaign...


References

Campbell, Marilyn A.(2005) Cyber bullying: An old problem in a new guise? Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling,15(1), pp. 68-76

Cho, D., & Acquisti, A. (2013). The More Social Cues, The Less Trolling? An Empirical Study of Online Commenting Behavior. Retrieved from:
http://weis2013.econinfosec.org/papers/ChoWEIS2013.pdf