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Reputation and Trolls

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Mon, 2012-09-24 20:24

Infomorph Kitsune Infomorph Kitsune's picture

Reputation and Trolls

So I was thinking about this today... Rep seems to work a lot like forum rep does on the internet. And as such there are twats and trolls that will derep someone because they don't like what they said, or don't like the way they look, or don't like that they are of a different skin colour/nationality/religion than them. You know, basically anything. And I highly doubt being a troll has been bred out of humanity after the Fall. So what is preventing people from say... rep-ing some asshat who is running for some high-ranking position because it would be "funny to see it in that position." Or de-repping someone for the reasons I mentioned before, even if the victim does a lot of good for the universe or whatever? What's the failsafe for this?

Mon, 2012-09-24 20:47

Libertad

I recall that Rep-Spam is a

I recall that Rep-Spam is a big problem in the New Economy Habitats. However, the Autonomist Habitats seem to operate on a shame-based society (like modern Japan). If you make an ass of yourself, whether in public or on the Mesh, it reflects badly on you. Trolls would run out of Rep fast if they do it constantly. There's also the concern of sousveillance and relative lack of privacy in many habitats. The Rep systems are a lot like modern-day social networking systems. It's hard for a Troll to hide in an Autonomist habitat unless he's good at assuming new identities (like a Firewall agent).

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[img]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m65pmc5Pvh1r0iehwo6_r1_400.jpg[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/Erdrick/anarc_userbar.jpg[/img] "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." ~George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950

Mon, 2012-09-24 20:53

Infomorph Kitsune Infomorph Kitsune's picture

Ah right, thanks for that. I

Ah right, thanks for that. I was forgetting about the whole "no such thing as privacy" bit. Kinda hard to be an anonymous troll if everyone knows who you are and were you live.

Mon, 2012-09-24 23:10

Hoarseman

That and trolling and bashing

That and trolling and bashing without some kind of evidence, video etc. probably has less weight in the rep ranking system, which is helped by the lack of public privacy. I have to imagine that most trolls would have low reps to begin with and are more a threat as a group effort like 4chan et al.

Mon, 2012-09-24 23:34

Libertad

Also, you can de-Rep someone

Also, you can de-Rep someone without stating why, and de-Reps are anonymous in nature. So a lot of times the Rep system goes by popularity. So someone de-Rep everyone of a certain religion may not be caught, although closely tight-knit communities can connect the dots if all the Catholics get -1 @-Rep every time they meet this one particular guy. As to assigning negative Rep based on race, ethnicity, gender, or orientation. That's REALLY hated in Autonomist habitats, and people with bigoted views learn to keep it to themselves or they'll quickly become social outcasts. In a way, social conditioning and earning the goodwill of the group serves as the primary replacement for traditional means of keeping communities peaceful and harmonious.

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Tue, 2012-09-25 11:45

nezumi.hebereke nezumi.hebereke's picture

I can certainly believe that

I can certainly believe that some people will have lower reps just because of 'who they are'. In fact, I suspect that this specific issue has been brought up as a failure in the rep system. If I put a bumper sticker for space-Romney on my morph while on a scum barge, my rep will drop significantly, *just* because I'm expressing my political views. (Realize also that with sousveillance, things like privacy in the voting booth may no longer exist.) In some habitats this will be more of an issue than in others. Locus, because of its diverse population, will see less -ism than a more homeogenous habitat. Ultimately, a single troll will be limited in the damage he can cause. But a community of isolated fanatics can quickly and permanently destroy the rep of any unfortunate Joe they decide they disagree with.

Tue, 2012-09-25 14:39

Tyrnis

The physical voting booth

The physical voting booth will have gone away, so privacy in voting is as easy (or as hard) as encrypting your transmission to the proper authorities. In some habitats, voting is likely to be done publicly -- your vote is a matter of public record. In others, I expect that voting is kept very private, in part to ensure that people _can_ freely express their opinions without fear of backlash. Private, of course, may mean anything from the fact that you voted is public record, but not how, to who voted or didn't is kept on a secure system and only accessible to someone who hacks it or to government officials with the appropriate access.