Ok, I'm with you so far.
But how do we know that a certain subset of users on Poal/Voat are SRS?
What are the potential problems that could arise from them being here? - Annoyance/sliding; we can block subverses and users, so this should be self-correcting to the degree people use these features - Dox threats; this is a serious concern, but it goes without saying you shouldn't be giving out enough info about yourself online for someone to figure out who you are. If SRS can dox you anyone can, right? - Sleeping their way to the top of subverses; no comment
Obviously if it's enough for a good user to up and quit the site over, it's a serious problem. But I just don't understand how. (Other than someone out there might dox you, which is always the case on the internet).
Why is this such a big deal?
The primary issue is that it begins to supplant the userbase. When you look at the front page, it wouldn't be content from the users- instead it would be content from these people.
Discussions the actual users want to have get shoved to the bottom, are seen last/less often, and/or are disregarded due to low score.
As new people come in, they'll look to the people with high scores for what the community looks like. The perception will be that the high score people are the major movers and shakers and have earned their points legitimately- in reality they're people who have gamed the system.
The perception will be that the subset of the userbase begins to look like the majority of the userbase. In time (especially with these same 'cheating' individuals having alts who have also cheated) they'll look like a vocal and active minority (or majority depending on activity level of the site).
In short- the site might be good, but the shills are always shills. The shills will drive off new users by foisting bad content/creating a bad environment. The shills will drive off the old users by preventing them from having conversations, old users having fatigue from dealing with shills, and a perceptible lack of growth of community.
The shills win when there is nothing left except for shills.
Most of their activity, in whatever form, serves to sap your limited time/attention
Even with what you said, it just doesn't seem likely these shitposters connect with SRS. Their tactics (if you assume SBBH is malicious) don't even seem alike -- unless there is some example of them doxing or harassing a user I'm not aware of which is completely possible. I also haven't heard of them pushing privileged-oppressor described in the OP in this thread.
I just don't see it.
And even when they do "slide," they are doing so from their own little containment thread, which anyone can easily just block. Ok, maybe someone will come to this site and say 'jesus this is just this one gabara guy posting over and over i'm out of here', but that's a far cry from SBBH is a battle-hardened, old-fag trolling legion known as the fempire that wants to cut our balls off and invert our dicks.
Am I just supposed to take it on faith?
(post is archived)