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Rise of the Trolls;

Fake News and History Revisionism

During the 2016 elections, the prevalence of the use of social media as a means of
campaign during the said election period was undeniable. In a sense, we could say that it was
social media who dictated the winners and losers of the said election. During this period,
TROLLS or paid social media account users were sent in droves to disseminate countless
information via comments, posts and the likes. Trolls were so effectively used during this time
that they did not only stir the pot, but rather, effectuated a political change by creating a divide so
clear, that sides were taken, battle lines were drawn and the winners and losers of the said
election became very apparent.
The strategy by the trolls were very simple but the design of their use was nonetheless
effective. The trolls were used to spread fake news, character assassinations and unfounded
information. Their language? The vernacular. Thus, it seemed that, for this kind of campaign
scheme, the simpler was definitely the better. They used common, easy to understand filipino
language. It didn’t matter if the substance was real and logical nor the was there an actual truth to
be told. What mattered to the trolls was that it was easy to understand, and the message was
straight to the point. As a result, such means of communication became easily accessible to the
masses. And as painful as it seemed, the masses are composed of, at the very least, politically
and historically uneducated people which is why the accepted the words of the trolls as their
own.
They were so convincing in this way, because they didn’t leave much for interpretation.
Simply put, they used simple to grasp allegations such as “this person is a thief”, “the media
always lies” and how “the rich only care for themselves”. The reasoning behind such claims
were neither verified nor defended. They simply put the words out and, due to the sheer mass
number of trolls and troll accounts they have accumulated, the said words spread like wildfire.
When their claims were assailed by more educated “netizens” they resorted to smart
shaming. Pitting the privileged against the poor and the educated against their own brand of
simple logic.
Through this tactics, they were successful in making a good portion of the voting masses
believe that history was actually altered by mainstream media and the educational institution to
suit political figures. They were able to effect a flood fake news and convince millions and
millions of people that history was different from the books. Because of this, for a lot of people,
history was revised.
On the other hand of the said discourse, the educated social media users tried to counter
the trolls with a bombardment of historical facts, collated data and opinionated sound advice.
However, such valiant efforts were easily negated by the sheer number of the trolls and the
simplicity of their cries. As sad as it may seem, historical facts, collated data and sound advice,
especially written using the English language, more so made in a more formal manner, was
easily trumped by statements such as “eh di ikaw na magaling” followed by laughing emojis and
memes.
In that manner, the masses found unity in the humor of the smart shaming done by the
trolls. It seemed to them, that these people, mainly from the middle and upper class, were
belittling their own intelligence. Case in point, they saw them as akin to an enemy.
This is the main reason why the use of trolls were so effective in effecting political
change is exactly this. The trolls were able to clearly manifest a political divide between the
masses and the upper and middle class. While one can argue that there has always been a
political divide, never was it more apparent that during the time of the 2016 elections. The trolls
were so successful in creating such divide by preying on the intellectual insecurities of the
masses and assailing the intellectual arrogance of the educated.
They created a divide so huge, that candidates whom are attributed to the use of such
trolls won by the highest of margins during the said election. They were so successful in uniting
the uneducated masses and pitting them squarely against educated ones whom are both just as
passionate about the elections as the other. They made them believe that the educated ones are
belittling the under-privileged while trolling or making fun of the upper and middle class.
Because of this, the gap between such social class became so wide that the numbers manifested
in the votes that were tabulated. Thus, we can say that the use and the prevalence of trolls
dictated who will be the winners of the 2016 elections. The trolls, whether we like it or not,
effectuated political change.