(image from phys.org)
When the Trolls, Swatters and Instigators Crawl Out of Cyberspace…damn.
I wondered how long it would take for this “Fake News” train, the swatting, bullying, virus-spreading the army of Trolls on the internet to lead to deaths.
India’s finding that out firsthand. There are plenty of examples where what trolls and instigators have planted has sprung through the screens.
How long til this happens in the U.S., I wonder?
NPR reported on this, as did several other news outlets, and I’m linking to the NPR article because they can say it much better than I. Rumors and Photoshopped images have created fear, hysteria, and mob violence, leading to several deaths.
Click for the NPR Story (and audio) from July 18th, 2018 below:
Viral WhatsApp Messages Are Triggering Mob Killings In India
I think the senior police official, Poddar, summed up the mob violence aspect pretty well:
“I wouldn’t say that when a mob behaves like this, that it is an incident of collective losing of mind. It isn’t,” he says. “It is an instance of knowing that you are shielded behind a crowd, that you may not be identified, and therefore you can indulge in behavior that is otherwise unacceptable in any civilized society.”
What would it take for the U.S. to go the same way (or are we already doing that)?
Floor’s yours…
The Chatty Introvert 
We are not far from it in a country with a history of lynchings and such. So far, the violence has been individual (mass shooters and vehicular assaults on crowds) rather than by mobs. What would it take? Perhaps, a leader, a President or a candidate for instance, who called for it. It has very nearly happened at some political rallies.
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Scary thoughts you present here, but thoughts that NEED to be considered.
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