Nowadays we have programmatic bots being used to spread misinformation & distrust on Social Media, in addition to the Troll’s who are just doing it for the lulz. A troll is a person who starts flame wars or intentionally upsets people on the Internet by posting inflammatory messages in an online community with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses for the troll’s amusement or a specific gain.
Can you identify these inauthentic accounts? Most people will say yes to the question but in reality it is hard to identify these accounts especially if they are run my competent people. spotthetroll.org is an online game that tests your ability to identify such accounts along with advice on what to look for when consuming Social Media. Its a great quiz and I found it to be quite fun, especially the section on what to look for when viewing social media to spot trolls/bots was very useful.
Each of the following 8 profiles include a brief selection of posts from a single social media account. You decide if each is an authentic account or a professional troll. After each profile, you’ll review the signs that can help you determine if it’s a troll or not.
I got a 5 out of 8. What’s your score?
– Suramya