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Some Reddit users just love to disagree, new AI-powered troll-spotting algorithm finds
(theconversation.com)
no they dont
this post was submitted on 15 May 2025
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Survivor bias aside, I'm not sure the UI doesn't make this drive-by trolling worse. The reddit UI (hi Lemmy) is threaded but disjoint, and the excellent response to one tree of responses isn't useful to or seen in another tree -- and those trees will develop in parallel in almost every discussion.
I worry that quips and cheap takes stand out because they're fast and block actual discussion more, so have that mock 'finalising' effect. Ending a discussion thread is not concluding it .
.. and we all have that cousin whom no one invites anywhere because he'll argue the shit out of something like a jackal worrying a carcass, until people just give up and let him wander smugly off to his little corner in contrarian triumph.
I have a reddit coworker, he just disagrees and follows up with "fucking retard" while being blatantly wrong...i hope they fire the guy soon.
Unmanageable human being, impossible to learn anything to keep him from killing himself (my job is technically life threatening, if you're too stupid to listen)
He also mamaged to call in sick for 2 weeks in his first 4 weeks of employment, i was surprised when they kept him on after that.
i was surprised when they kept him on after that.
Clearly did not learn anything from The Office Space. that's management material and your future boss
In breaking news; The sky is blue.
More at 4.
I came here for a good argument!
"This is Abuse."
That skit has only gotten more and more relevant with the rise (and fall) of the internet.
Yeah i enjoy arguing online
no you don't 😜
I disagree.
I think you're wrong.
Well ackshually...
I disagree
OBJECTION!
OVERRULED!
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(3 replies)
Disagreeing isnt trolling. On reddit you see so much stuff that is so plain and agreeable its not worth adding agreeable comment #2000. So it only becomes worth commenting if you see a post where you actually have a disagreement with the majority.
Read the article. It's not about normal run of the mill disagreement. It's about:
...an entire class of Reddit users whose primary purpose seems to be to disagree with others. These users specifically seek out opportunities to post contradictory comments, especially in response to disagreement, and then move on without waiting for replies.
whose primary purpose seems to be to disagree
What's survivor bias again?
I mean, aside from the thing everyone is saying, to which you're replying 'read the article', that is.
Oh, disagreeing with the post, huh? Looks like we found the AI troll, get 'em everyone!
Disagreeing is often treated as trolling by those you disagree with, depending on the subject. Mostly because those disagreements are often bad faith talking points from some groups of people.
Repeating bad faith talking points isnt trolling. To me its a perspective issue. What I think is bad faith talking points might be reality to another person.
The person who identifies disagreement as trolling needs to grow up.
Back in my day, trolls would say something that pisses off both sides of the argument and makes people more aggressive towards each other.
Trolling is a art
It really used to be a art.
Yep. The skin appears thin at points.
Hey, stop trolling!
But this isn't about people seeking worthwhile debates
These users specifically seek out opportunities to post contradictory comments, especially in response to disagreement, and then move on without waiting for replies.
Ah okay but you won't respond to this.
You can post a comment disagreeing and not reply. Not every comment has to be seeking out "worthwhile debates"
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(3 replies)
those are the people who no one irl talks to anymore because they impulsively take the opposing stance, regardless of how stupid that stance may be, any time anyone says anything
I had a colleague like that, he was an electric engineer who was convinced that the Earth is flat and that vaccines are bad.
I play devil's advocate in most friend-space conversations, it's just who I am, I don't do it disrespectfully (I hope) but it's just the first thing my brain goes to.
sometimes it's good to examine things from all angles; i'm mostly talking about people who will start arguing if you say "nice weather today"-- shit gets old quick
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(4 replies)
Disagreeing is not trolling. I hate post where everyone just comments the same thing. It's has no value, it's boring.
When people have different opinions and exchange ideas it gets interesting.
read the article.
Perhaps our most striking result was finding an entire class of Reddit users whose primary purpose seems to be to disagree with others. These users specifically seek out opportunities to post contradictory comments, especially in response to disagreement, and then move on without waiting for replies.
So if you look at my comment history at Reddit you would find few "totally agree, here's an upvote" comments and a lot "I totally disagree with this statement" type of comments. Not because I was trolling. I just find "you're so right" type of comments boring. I don't know what the "move on without waiting for replies" part implies. Who waits for replies on reddit? Do they mean they just never reply bak? If so that's also not typical trolling.
I want to know what the five basic kinds of users are to see which kind I am!
There's something quite funny about making a few replies to people on a topic, doing something else with your life for several hours, then logging back in to a shitstorm. I've done it unintentionally a few times.
Devils advocate is very much in my nature but not so much when things are being done so obviously badly. Its great when discussions are more philisophical in nature.
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