Control the Troll: The Libertarian Ethic and Political Discourse in the Age of Disinformation

• In Event: You Must Remember This: Educational Policy Analyses for the 21st Century

Abstract

How is trolling influencing our current education and politics? In the 1990’s, the Internet was imagined as a public sphere where citizens from all walks of life could engage in rational discourse toward the common good in a space outside of the state and the economy. And, yet, discussion boards are filled with the vilest racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic sentiments one could imagine. The Internet is anchored on the term “openness.” The vitriol we confront daily online is justified as “freedom of expression,” and resisting it is vilified as “censorship.” The troll celebrates creating chaos and laughing at self-righteousness. And, while this should be celebrated in some circumstances, openness and anonymity does not protect vulnerable groups and allows for state actors to hire troll armies to create ideological confusion across national boundaries. This paper reconsiders political discourse online and recalibrates the political importance of the troll.

Author

• Daniel Chapman, Georgia Southern University