Intro

Over time, you may notice that a website or forum you frequent begins to degrade in terms of quality, atmosphere, or content.

What used to be a fairly coherent group of people with a shared interest(s) eventually turns into either one of two things:

1. A ghost town.

2. A cesspit populated by terminally online schizos that destroyed what it used to be, who once realizing they’ve “won” will leave and go on to the next website or forum like locusts.

The first one happens because time goes on, people move onto new things, and life situations change. That’s completely understandable, especially if the forum or website in question only encompassed a single piece of media or a single hobby. Note to yourself, once discussions die down to nothing and people start posting cakes, dresses, license plate frames, or bumper stickers themed after the website’s core subject, it’s time to move on.

Now, how in the name of Christ does the second one happen?
We’re going to look at an extreme example for the sake of getting the point across, but the most common scenario is this kind of stuff happens over an extended period of time. Slowly, bit by bit, the site/forum is worn down until there’s nothing left.

Often it begins with a “scout”, a terminally online schizo that spends 14-16 hours per day at their computer or phone mindlessly trawling around until they find a new site. Once the site/forum is found, they begin digging into it and sorting through everything on it to try and find something they disagree with, something they find upsetting, or something that marks everyone on that site as “the enemy”.
Sometimes its taken to the next level, and they set up web scrapper bots that work 24/7 to crawl sites and return hits on any flagged words, phrases, points of discussion or content. These sites are then put into lists, categorized, etc…

Average Arch Linux user behavior.

Before going on let’s first address why these people act like this, and the answer is pretty simple.

The rush of being “the righteous one” that’s waging a constant effort against an enemy is the only sense of accomplishment and fulfillment they will ever have in their lives. Now how can anyone possibly give up that kind of dopamine hit?

Their job sucks.
Their life sucks.
Their family can’t stand them.
Their addictions run their existence.
Their life has no purpose.
They have accomplished nothing, will leave behind nothing, and will be known as nothing.

But goddamn son doesn’t it feel great to spam, harass, and take down the “bad people” who aren’t as morally superior as you, all from the comfort of your squalor?

So you’ve got a terminally online nutcase that’s running 16+ hours a day off the fumes of their own self righteousness + whatever drugs they’re addicted to, how does this progress into trashing a website or forum?
Well unfortunately, the internet has allowed everyone to connect with one another no matter where they are in the world. I think that’s been a gigantic mistake and everyone needs to go back to more sequestered and segmented networks but that’ll be covered in some other sprawling wall of meandering text.

Thanks to the internet, mentally ill societal rejects can now instantly find other mentally ill societal rejects and form communities. And lemme tell ya, mental illness + drugs + no life + all the time in the world makes for an extremely volatile group of people.
For the purpose of simplicity, we’ll refer to these people as TOSRs going forward. Terminally Online Societal Rejects.

Now they’ve got a target.

The Scout

The death of a site/forum begins once initial contact is made by a TOSR scout, either by manual inspection of the site or via automated web scraping bots that register hits on certain criteria. You can think of them as the first disease carrying rat that enters a city and starts shitting all over the place, which emphasizes the importance of competent site moderators/rat catchers.

The TOSR scout will begin digging through the site’s contents, comments, and community members to try and find something they dislike. This can be words, opinions, viewpoints, discussions, images, whatever. If it evokes anger, rage and righteous indignation that’s all they need.
In our example, a TOSR scout has discovered oklahomaAnime.yut, a site run by site administrator FragMan33.

While taking their fifth hit of ketamine that morning, the TOSR scout finds the following thread:

==================================================================

{Mika Hine! Season 4 Discussion}

(Pinned) FragMan33 #ADMIN#> Guys, remember to properly mark spoilers if you’re gonna post them. Thanks.

DJR12> Bros, why tf did they have Mika start dating Len? That doesn’t match up with her character at all, she’s always been the kinda girl that’d go for Yoru.
DJR12> Idk, feels like they’re trying to cash in on fan service, the writing this season doesn’t sit right.
MarkyHark> Yeaaaaaaa I felt that too. Like, she’s always really uncomfortable around Len cause Len always makes shit so awkward. Then they start holding hands while her childhood friend/crush Yoru is just pushed to the side? Huh?
44Dates> I LOVE MIKA!
44Dates> MIKA A CUTE, A CUTE!
DJR12> Hey 44.
MarkyHark> Sup 44.
44Dates> :wave:
DJR12> But dude that’s my thoughts too, I mean its so damn jarring it throws off the whole vibe of the show for me.
MarkyHark> Think its rage bait engagement cause of the recent ratings? lol
DJR12> Fuuuuuuuuck probably lmao
ApeState__> Fuuuuuuuu
GhanzasMilkers> Fuuuuuuuu
MarkyHark> Fuuuuuuuu
DJR12> Fuuuuuuuu
44Dates> {Post Deleted}
WDTacks #MOD#> 44, please remember to only post NSFW in the NSFW threads.
44Dates> :deep apology bow:
ApeState__> lmao

==================================================================

So what about this thread is the scout gonna pick up on and freak out over?
Not a clue, that’s why they’re a TOSR.

Seeing whatever it is that got them torqued, the TOSR scout creates an account in like two minutes and immediately hops in to begin their crusade against the evils of this world in their own special, unique way.
The first contact message is always different, but its usually a “probe” to see the response it gets. That response will often weigh into what the TOSR scout does next.

==================================================================

44Dates> :deep apology bow:
ApeState__> lmao
kjsdfh234> nice dog whistle, maybe you can let the character do what the author feels is best and respect that :)
DJR12> ???
MarkyHark> Authors can write whatever they want, but that doesn’t excuse them from criticism. Like for Mike Hine, the previous three seasons have had ZERO indication of this direction, but then suddenly it comes outta nowhere. That’s not objective or opinion, that’s just bad writing. Have you seen the previous seasons?
kjsdfh234> that doesn’t matter mr gatekeeper :) want me to write an essay first to get your approval before im allowed to give my opinion or are you not a total piss baby :)
GhanzasMilkers> WD who is this?
WDTacks #MOD#> Some shit stirrer. Banned.
ApeState__> lmao
GhanzasMilkers> Thanks
DJR12> I was like, who tf shows up and talks like that?
44Dates> I LOVE MIKA!

==================================================================

Now the TOSR scout has been banned from the forum, and to be extra sure the mod decided to IP ban them as well. That’s okay, since that’s the approach that will filter out 99% of the idiots that shit up a site or forum.

Unfortunately, a TOSR is not in that 99%.

The Response

The scout goes back to whatever hive it calls home (Discord, social media, telegram channels, etc…) and begins informing other TOSRs about their discovery. A site full of evil and incorrect opinions that the TOSR doesn’t like, yet still for some reason went out of their way to expose themself to it and make themselves upset. How could this have possibly happened?

One TOSR is bad enough, now oklahomaAnime.yut is going to be the target of like twenty of them.

Let’s weight up the capabilities and contenders in this digital shit fest:

First up, oklahomaAnime.yut:

Website members:

• FragMan33: Administrator, works as a full time welder and has a family of five.

• WDTacks: Moderator, works as a full time security guard, has a girlfriend (or so he claims).

• DJR12: Member, works at a tire shop.

• MarkyHark: Member, works as a teacher, has a family of three.

• 44Dates: Member, nobody knows what he does, but C++ programmer is a safe bet.

• ApeState_: Member, says he’s in a “logistics field”. He delivers soda to grocery stores.

• GhanzasMilkers: Member, college student.

• 100+ others, all members of a fairly tight community with regular posts occurring each day.

Website tools:

• Account, IP, and geolocation ban capabilities.

• Shadow ban capabilities.

• Moderate DDoS protection.

• Hosted by a commercial service.

Now, here’s what they’re up against:

TOSRs:

• 20+ mentally ill, unemployed addicts that spend 16+ hours per day at their computers. They do not bathe, they do not go outside, they have no social life, they barely eat, they’re all on some form of drugs to cope with their life situation. Sitting at their computer or being on their phone is their entire existence, every single day, every single week, every single month. They sleep on bare mattresses with no sheets or frames, they live in crusty carpeted rentals that reek of ammonia, and their internet connection is covered by welfare of some kind.

And what kind of tools do they have?

• DDoS botnet services.

• Simple, commercially available VPNs.

• Account bots and botting systems.

• A shitload of illegal material stored in a private server.

• An unlimited amount of time.

• A whole lotta drugs to keep them going.

And here’s where the rest of the unwashed, unloved horde begins showing up.

==================================================================

{Mika Hine! Season 4 Discussion}

(Pinned) FragMan33 #ADMIN#> Guys, remember to properly mark spoilers if you’re gonna post them. Thanks.
MarkyHark> Wait, episode 8, at like 04:31 or around that area. Did anyone else see the whiteout they forgot to remove on that frame where Yoru throws a brick at the guy who was hassling Mika?
ApeState__> Dude its real lmao what the hell
DJR12> Fuuuuuu that’s gonna bother me now, I hope they fix that in the physical release.
44Dates> :Mikacheer:
erty54l> you asked for this :)
45oiu> LMAO THIS IS THEM? HOLY SHIT
45oiu> THEY JUST DID A SIMPLE ACCOUNT BAN? THAT’S IT? LOL
45oiu> YOU CAN MAKE A NEW ONE IN LIKE TEN SECONDS LOOOOOOOL
+UP-SKILLED+> I’M SCREEEEEEEEAMING OMG
45oiu> RIGHT LMAO
WDTacks #MOD#> Sorry guys, I think I got them all. Frag, we should lock account creation for the next week or so till they move on.
FragMan33 #ADMIN#> Done.
44Dates> :Mikacheer:
DJR12> Mods = Gods

==================================================================

Here’s a real quick summary of what happens next:

• The site gets DDoS’d nonstop by a botnet the DDoS protection service cannot handle, and thus becomes unavailable.

• Once a week is up, and because FragMan33 is too busy with real life, bot accounts begin shitting up the threads with automated posts. Everything is off topic, rage bait is constantly spammed, threads are derailed by the TOSRs, quality posts become extinct.

• TOSRs begin uploading CP and other illegal material to the site, have the bots boost the threads with automated uploads and replies, then report the threads to the hosting provider. The hosting provider demands that the admin get the situation under control right away or they’ll remove the site entirely.

• Bots and TOSRs begin making posts that violate the ToS, but there’s no many they can’t be dealt with by a team that has full time jobs and real life stuff to deal with. The TOSRs can do this all day long, nonstop, endlessly posting more and more, replying to each other, feeding off each other’s mental high of taking down the “enemy”.

• TOSRs spend all day every day spamming social media via their 3000+ burner accounts with posts about how oklahomaAnime.yut is a place full of hate, CP, and unacceptable discourse. They ping the hosting provider’s social media accounts with a flood of comments on how this has to end or they’re complicit in the site’s activities.

• FragMan33 and WDTacks, a team of two, cannot handle the constant bombardment of incessant, frenzied attacks by the TOSRs.

• Unable to deal with the issues, maintain the site’s uptime due to DDoS attacks, and having real life take priority, oklahomaAnime.yut is shut down.

• TOSRs feel a dopamine high unlike any other, hyping themselves up over their victory against the evil forum that was mean to them and held opinions on a show they didn’t like.

• A TOSR scout finds a new target, and makes initial contact to probe the response.

• The TOSRs have a new target.

• 44Dates still loves Mika.

The Suggestions

There’s a few ways to prevent TOSRs/plague rats from getting a foothold in whatever forum, website or community you’re a part of. They aren’t bulletproof, because its hard to contend against someone that’s terminally online + mentally ill, but they can definitely help.
They aren’t ideal for “NONSTOP GROWTH, MORE PEOPLE, MORE ENGAGEMENT, MORE POSTS, MORE AD REVENUE” but look at Instagram, X, or any other social media shitpit and ask if you’d like to have that same kind of content/userbase.

• Ensure you have proper DDoS protection, don’t skimp out on the cost. (I swear to God if someone throws a DDoS against this site just to make some shitty “Jajajaja” Telegram thread about it…)

• The moment any kind of TOSR bullshit is detected, stomp it out and restrict posting to current members/known IPs. At least for awhile, test the waters after a week or two. Remember that they’re obsessive and will sit at that keyboard trying nonstop until they die of dehydration.

• If you have anonymous posting enabled, the moderators need to be deeply in touch with the site’s culture and mannerisms. This allows them to detect when a post feels off or looks like the first signs of a TOSR scout/shit stirrer, and act accordingly (ban hammer to the fullest extent of the law). Other posters that want to protect the site’s culture/environment should ensure the moderators are made aware of anything that looks like a TOSR scout.

• Make use of containment boards for shitposters and bait threads. Keep all the shit in the cesspits.

• Bait posts get the ban hammer.

• Concern trolling gets the ban hammer.

• Enable as many bot protections as possible, but not to the point it makes users unable to post without performing captcha Swan Lake just to post “would” in the Wednesday Waifu thread.

• If you have account creation as a requirement to post, limit it to 5 accounts per day. Further requests can be reviewed via a “request an account” button that can be reviewed by an admin or moderator. Yeah that doesn’t allow for “explosive growth” but you’re running a small site/forum, you’re not trying to convince a bunch of venture capital jackals to give you more funding.

• Sanitize your inputs you dipshit.

• Restrict file type uploads (you don’t need .php5 uploads for your mechanical keyboard forum).

• If at all possible don’t allow image hosting directly on the site, require the use of third party services and then have the images be embedded in the page. I don’t want to have to explain why you don’t want random people uploading images to a server when you’re liable for what it contains.

And here’s the one that’ll definitely get you in trouble (because the law is fun like that) but it’s something we need to do more of.

• Fight back using active defense methods. Stop letting groups of schizo nobodies run rampant and do whatever they want without consequence.

• Look up active defense methods, study them, put them into practice.

• Remember, “poison” not “venom”.

The Conclusion

Letting internet access leave the universities and military bases was a mistake, I hope an irreparable DNS corruption bug sweeps through the land, Lord take me I’m ready to go.