Agents on these boards

Is it conceivable that there are agents - of other government or corporations - that are constantly lurking on these very forums in order to post propaganda? There are some users here who seem to always go against posts or media content that supports the rights of people, and will support content that is basically pro-corporate or highly loyalist, no matter what. They unfailingly show up like clockwork every time and they are propagandist in nature.

I know, for example, that the pharmaceutical industry has people scouring the net who insert doubt about any kind of medicine that could harm their profits.

Obviously anything available online that can be commented on falls under the public domain and free speech, so I'm not saying anything should be done about this. I'm just asking the question because it has crossed my mind on here before.

I have not been on here long but I have been thinking the same thing. Some poster's activity seems weird at times. Sometimes the same one will be TOTALLY argumentative to any post or media content then at other times they seem like a different person being more pliant. The positions seem to vary among the same poster from time to time....weird. Almost as if various people are using the same handle at different times.

Netvocates

Blog Warriors

Persuasion and marketing both use tools from the same box.

There is a lot of deceptive marketing on the internet. Fake reviews and whatnot. Google search dandling.

It wouldn't be difficult to monitor a large number of sites for discussions that threaten a particular "message". Great job for interns in Communications, Public Relations, and Political Science.

Id be surprised if there weren't, actually. But haven't been able to positively identify anyone as a "pro" in over a year here. (But I have my eye on a few!)

Temporal said:

Is it conceivable that there are agents - of other government or corporations - that are constantly lurking on these very forums in order to post propaganda? There are some users here who seem to always go against posts or media content that supports the rights of people, and will support content that is basically pro-corporate or highly loyalist, no matter what. They unfailingly show up like clockwork every time and they are propagandist in nature.

I know, for example, that the pharmaceutical industry has people scouring the net who insert doubt about any kind of medicine that could harm their profits.

Obviously anything available online that can be commented on falls under the public domain and free speech, so I'm not saying anything should be done about this. I'm just asking the question because it has crossed my mind on here before.

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Of course there are . . . not even a conspiracy.

With how many people hop onto this forum from FBO and other addresses in the military (etc) - **** yeah they're being watched as it should be. Their phone calls are monitored too and so are emails - monitored, interrupted and tinkered with.

I am a secret agent paid by the Kraft family to turn you all into Patriot fans.

I might be one....

I'm too dumb to be one.

soccerboy22 said:

I am a secret agent paid by the Kraft family to turn you all into Patriot fans.

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Be nice....I am always humored by allagations that there are persons who are paid to post on this board. If you were talking about ABC News blogs or something like that; perhaps but this forum?


But hell, I will play along; for my colleagues out there....
The black crow flies at midnight. You know what to do.

I'm actually a secret North Korean agent that lives in the DMZ off rats and wild animals while stealing South Korean internet access and learned English from bribed South Korean guards.

Proud South Korean said:

I'm actually a secret North Korean agent that lives in the DMZ off rats and wild animals while stealing South Korean internet access and learned English from bribed South Korean guards.

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No see - we knew that already.

Cover blown.

Boardtracker...

:ninja:

Temporal said:

Is it conceivable that there are agents - of other government or corporations - that are constantly lurking on these very forums in order to post propaganda? There are some users here who seem to always go against posts or media content that supports the rights of people, and will support content that is basically pro-corporate or highly loyalist, no matter what. They unfailingly show up like clockwork every time and they are propagandist in nature.

I know, for example, that the pharmaceutical industry has people scouring the net who insert doubt about any kind of medicine that could harm their profits.

Obviously anything available online that can be commented on falls under the public domain and free speech, so I'm not saying anything should be done about this. I'm just asking the question because it has crossed my mind on here before.

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Here's the deal:

1. People actually have opinions that are different from yours, simply because they believe in them. Shocking, I know, but get used to it.

2. No "agent" would waste their time on a board like this. Don't have such a high opinion of your importance.

All very ho-ho, but there is certainly one country in the Middle East that has a surprising number of posters on all sites devoted only to IT and never anything else. I expect it is just a sort of fan-club thing though!

usda select said:

Be nice....I am always humored by allagations that there are persons who are paid to post on this board. If you were talking about ABC News blogs or something like that; perhaps but this forum?


But hell, I will play along; for my colleagues out there....
The black crow flies at midnight. You know what to do.

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Actually, while this is the first board I've seriously participated in, found by my wife to get me to stop chewing her ear off aboit politics, its my understanding that its pretty unique.

The left and the right actually talk here. MANY people who have been much more active than I on political boards comment on this simple difference. (Kudos to Vauge and the mod team!) According to them, most boards are "right" or "left" and shut down the "other" side almost completely.

Persuasion is a science of nudges and reinforcements, almost universally "leaving things out" of its manufactured narratives. If your target audience/demographic is actually talking to people outside yoir target group, you run the serious risk of having your "messaging" deconstructed, to the degree you could lose credibility permanently with them.

Even that recent advertisement letter from a lobbying firm to the banking industry alludes to an internet facet. And what it was proposing was the development of a "crisis management plan", something normally in the purview of public relations. The gathering of information to be used in the event Dem politicians should start to embrace the OWS movement.

PR is a ten billion dollar a year industry, outside those in the direct employ of business and politicians. All involved in creating and MAINTAINING the public images of politicians, businesses, and individuals. Why WOULDNT they have an internet presence? Especially considering how technologically easy it would be? And cheap too, considering it could be done mostly with interns in the field of Communications.

Add to this the mod references to "spam bots", and the civil nature of this board, and I can't believe this board attracts NO attention from the persuasion industry.

They have the means, motive, and opportunity.

Temporal said:

Is it conceivable that there are agents - of other government or corporations - that are constantly lurking on these very forums in order to post propaganda? There are some users here who seem to always go against posts or media content that supports the rights of people, and will support content that is basically pro-corporate or highly loyalist, no matter what. They unfailingly show up like clockwork every time and they are propagandist in nature.

I know, for example, that the pharmaceutical industry has people scouring the net who insert doubt about any kind of medicine that could harm their profits.

Obviously anything available online that can be commented on falls under the public domain and free speech, so I'm not saying anything should be done about this. I'm just asking the question because it has crossed my mind on here before.

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If I suggest a little something to help with all the obvious paranoia, does that mean I am an agent for a pharmaceutical company?

"Well, I don't believe it," (says anti-public-union shill MaggieD)

Howsomever, when one remembers the governor's administration who just recently called a high school girl on her Twitter message, I guess it's certainly a possibility. Every once in a while I see ads for companies that "enhance one's internet presence." They tout that they "manage" negative reviews, etc.

BTW, that governor apologized. The girl refused to accept it saying he should have contacted her directly instead of apologizing through the media. I love it!

Penderyn said:

All very ho-ho, but there is certainly one country in the Middle East that has a surprising number of posters on all sites devoted only to IT and never anything else. I expect it is just a sort of fan-club thing though!

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Considering the fact that those such as yourself with such a deep an abiding hatred for anything and everything even remotely related to IT so completely outnumber those who defend IT against your relentless vitriol, perhaps you have it the other way around?

Of course there are agents here. And not just government/Others. The interwebs are vast and the pickings are plump.

Temporal said:

Is it conceivable that there are agents - of other government or corporations - that are constantly lurking on these very forums in order to post propaganda? There are some users here who seem to always go against posts or media content that supports the rights of people, and will support content that is basically pro-corporate or highly loyalist, no matter what. They unfailingly show up like clockwork every time and they are propagandist in nature.

I know, for example, that the pharmaceutical industry has people scouring the net who insert doubt about any kind of medicine that could harm their profits.

Obviously anything available online that can be commented on falls under the public domain and free speech, so I'm not saying anything should be done about this. I'm just asking the question because it has crossed my mind on here before.

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Sometimes, but most of the time, highly unlikely.

Well govs and corporations do use that. I mean the Israeli gov has even admitted they have agents that scavenge the internet to post pro Israeli propaganda on boards and across the net.

Gardener said:

Considering the fact that those such as yourself with such a deep an abiding hatred for anything and everything even remotely related to IT so completely outnumber those who defend IT against your relentless vitriol, perhaps you have it the other way around?

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Well, I admit I dislike colonialism and child-murder rather intensely, but nobody employs me to says so, and I do it only out of a sense of duty, finding the devotées of racism pretty disgusting to talk to, and I do, as even you must admit, sometimes address other issues. 'Vitriol' is not a thing I go in for, preferring fact. And before you get on to moving QP to its usual position on the board, I have always got on well with and supported both Jews and ex-Jews.

I would assume that disinfo agents utilize whatever channels of communication they find available. But, in a format like this, it should be difficult to identify them. Consistent vs inconsistent style? Not a reliable indicator. Neither would be the persistent drum beat of a given viewpoint--some people are just built that way. All you can do, anyway, is let the ideas play here.

I wouldn't doubt that this site, itself, could be a disinfo concoction.:shock:

It's certainly possible. The investment cost is small enough. People are known to do these things.
The only real question is whether or not there are some on this board in particular.

I have no doubts there are paid disinformation agents on this board, as well as most any board that has any high level of activity.

As for identifying these people, that's alot trickier, because for anyone that pushes a certain viewpoint there might be 1 paid agent for 10 others that legitimately believe the same.

Are they a danger? It seems their influence would be a wash, as for every person whose thinking they sway, there would be another who would be persuaded oppositely.