Factories produce. And this factory is no exception. But what comes out of the innocent-looking marble edifice in St. Petersburg, Russia, isn’t useful or lovely. The product is propaganda, and the building is a troll factory.
Today the term “troll” can mean a person who knowingly posts distasteful or inaccurate material online. Trolls often disrupt online news by spamming an article’s comments section or posting false information on social media.
Due to recent uprisings in Serbia and Ukraine, Russian trolls have been extremely active. In at least one troll factory—and possibly many more—hundreds of people work 12-hour shifts posting pro-Russian propaganda on the Internet. They hope the steady stream of lies makes those who disagree with the Kremlin (the Russian government) seem foolish and in the minority.
This spring Lyudmila Savchuk, a Russian journalist, infiltrated a troll factory. Her undercover research shows a well-managed machine of misinformation.
At the factory, trolls offer advice, make comments, and post images on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram using multiple fake identities. Trolls often receive specific instructions about what to write: today something negative about a government enemy, tomorrow something praising a Russian official.
Savchuk reports that most trolls are young college students. They feel privileged to have a high-paying job. Most think they are helping their country.
The trolls weave pro-Russian ideas into ordinary posts about relationships, weight loss, or any other topic. “You sit there and write things like: Yesterday I went for a walk and the idea came to me about how bad the situation is in Europe,” Savchuk told Spiegel Online, a German Internet magazine.
During Savchuk’s two months at the troll factory, she had to produce five political posts, 10 non-political posts, plus nearly 200 comments on other trolls’ accounts every two days. Her co-workers, with names like koka-kola23 and green_margo, did the same.
The troll army seeks to influence opinion about Russia’s role in the overthrow in Ukraine and to strengthen Serbian ties to Russia. Trolls also target Germany, the United States, and other Western powers. Ridiculing President Obama is a common theme.
Savchuk says her work at the Russian troll factory sometimes sickened her. She worries that the propaganda is succeeding—especially among the trolls themselves. She sees the hatred, aggressiveness, and dishonesty spilling over as the trolls leave the factory and enter the real world.
Dealing with lies and manipulation all day would be sickening. The Bible calls Satan the father of lies, so he is probably happy with the trollish work of everyone everywhere who deals in deceit. The next time you’re tempted to be dishonest or to spread misinformation, fight it by speaking the truth in love.
