Post by robeiae on Oct 17, 2018 8:46:30 GMT -5
I miss out on all the good stuff...
www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-16/4chan-sparks-mass-triggering-npc-meme-twitter-responds-ban-hammer
Created and propelled by the 4Chan crowd, the NPC memes sparked a response from twitter:
ZeroHedge argues that there was no election link at all:
The NYT writer thinks differently:
The NYT--like twitter, apparently--assumes this is alt-right/pro-Trump activity, no doubt spurred on by the reactions of some on twitter who declared that calling someone an NPC was "dehumanizing" and/or "fascist."
It seems to me, though, that "fascists" would be quintessential examples of NPCs.
As much as I have a problem with the 4Chan crowd, I don't think think the goal here was simply attacking liberals, much less trying to influence the upcoming election. I think it's more of a general critique of people not thinking for themselves and can extend in both directions.
Thoughts?
www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-16/4chan-sparks-mass-triggering-npc-meme-twitter-responds-ban-hammer
The NPC meme essentially meant to ridicule the post-election perpetual outrage culture in which liberals simply parrot the latest talking points from their favorite pundits, who do their thinking for them.
Over the weekend, Twitter responded by suspending about 1,500 accounts associated with the NPC trolling campaign. The accounts violated Twitter’s rules against “intentionally misleading election-related content,” according to a person familiar with the company’s enforcement process. The person, who would speak only anonymously, was not authorized to discuss the decision.
ZeroHedge argues that there was no election link at all:
There is precisely zero evidence that the accounts were spreading "intentionally misleading election-related content," so we're just going to have to take Twitter's word for it.
The NYT writer thinks differently:
The campaign, which was born in the fever swamps of 4chan and Reddit message boards, involved creating hundreds of fictional personas with gray cartoon avatars, known as NPCs. These accounts posed as liberal activists and were used to spread — among other things — false information about November’s midterm elections.
It seems to me, though, that "fascists" would be quintessential examples of NPCs.
As much as I have a problem with the 4Chan crowd, I don't think think the goal here was simply attacking liberals, much less trying to influence the upcoming election. I think it's more of a general critique of people not thinking for themselves and can extend in both directions.
Thoughts?
