TROLLS AND THE MAGICIAN’S CODE

Some individuals troll just for fun, but when the stakes are high, it can involve hundreds of people

IN magic, when the performer draws the audience’s attention to one thing to distract them from another, it’s called misdirection. The ability to manage the audience’s attention is crucial in all magic acts.

For this reason, magicians live by an oath to never reveal the secrets of their trade. This is the magician’s code. It guarantees that these illusionists would continue to shock, amaze or entertain for generations to come.

Today, in the Information Age, illusions aren’t limited to sawing someone in half, pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or walking through walls.

With the right toolkit, strategies, and financial resources, you can also create the illusion that you’re popular. That might not seem like a bad thing at first, but what if the intention is to deflect attention (misdirection) from something more sinister? Or what if the popularity is gained by destroying the reputation of others?

The 2016 United States presidential election is one example, where Russian groups launched a campaign to influence the results by undermining public faith in the democratic process and denigrating certain candidates.

The campaign involved trolling, which in Internet slang refers to starting arguments or upsetting people in an online community. The goals are commonly to harass people, elicit an emotional response, or influence opinion.

Some individuals troll just for fun, but when the stakes are high it can involve hundreds of people, each with multiple identities online, all sufficiently paid and directed by key strategists.

An Oxford University study in 2017 identified 28 countries that use cyber troopers to manipulate opinion. The countries cited were Argentina, Azerbaijan, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Mexico, North Korea, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, the US, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.

A 2018 research paper, “The Online Trolling Ecosystem”, described the phenomenon as “readily weaponised”, because it is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

The authors, professors Hal Berghel (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Daniel Berleant (University of Arkansas at Little Rock), attempted to classify the different types of trolling that exist, in the hope that it would help in drafting appropriate responses to deal with the threat.

These include diversion trolling, “an insidious tactic for blocking legitimate communication by diverting a thread in a direction that’s misleading, irrelevant, (or) false”.

There’s also insult trolling, where insults spark responses that drain the target’s energy, or make the target look bad and are demoralising.

PR trolling, meanwhile, is to make the troll or his/her views look good by stating approval. A common giveaway is when a troll’s posting gets multiple responses of “Right On!” or “Thank you for saying what so many know but are afraid to say”.

“This boosts persuasiveness via a bandwagon effect,” the authors wrote.

In recent weeks, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak appears to have gained notoriety for his trolls of the Pakatan Harapan government.

On Feb 20 alone, his Facebook page had 13 postings in 12 hours. That’s one post every hour, which is considered excessive on social media.

Posting more than twice per day is crossing the line into annoying, some experts say. The sweet spot should be five to 10 posts per week.

Najib, who is facing multiple corruption charges in relation to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), has even produced a music video poking fun at the government, and adopted the catchphrase “bossku” (originally a Sabahan slang for ‘bro’) as his own.

The social media postings — often in informal Malay, with a dash of sarcasm and humour — are uncharacteristic of the man once described by the New York Times as a genteel, British-educated aristocrat.

At times, the contrast is striking but the irony is lost. A visit to buy groceries at a supermarket frequented by the masses. A photo-op while sipping tea at a stall. Yet, the hand holding the glass has a Panerai watch on the wrist.

All this has invited speculation whether these are jibes of a seasoned politician against his opponents and critics, or part of a bigger strategic campaign to “gain” popularity, shift public opinion and deflect from the corruption charges and 1MDB scandal.

One thing is certain: although Najib no longer holds any posts in Umno or Barisan Nasional, most of the public appearances are not impromptu.

Invitations are sent out beforehand through social media, and to media outlets to provide coverage.

“If it is (part of a trolling campaign), they would need many