Bulletin #7 – In Defence of the Academic Troll. A word on the new heroes of Infotainment
Droste Effect presents: Bulletin, a non-academic, curated online publication. Monthly on Droste Effect magazine
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Abstract:
The 2016 US elections marked the rise of Internet trolls, such as Milo Yiannopoulos, and inflammatory news websites, such as Breitbart, in what could be described as a pivotal moment in the era of «post representation». But these events are merely indicative of a discourse which spans beyond American politics and has so far led artists, thinkers and activists to wonder: How is knowledge redefined when information and entertainment are rendered indistinguishable? Furthermore, could the same malicious strategies used by the far right be appreciated and even re-appropriated as a possible discourse of empowerment? The following is a think piece which tries to establish such a point of departure, in order to help redefine trolling, and even use it responsibly, to test, safeguard and help immunize the rhetorics of academia and the left.
About the author:
Gabriel S Moses (1982, Jerusalem) is a Berlin-based essayist and media artist with a millennial complex. In other words: he knows how to lie about why he lied about what ur kids said about u on their smartphones behind ur back. He holds a practice‐based Masters degree (UdK Berlin) and speaks frequently at venues across Europe. His works have been showcased at Transmediale (Berlin), Lenbachhaus (Munich) and FILE (Sao Paulo). In 2014, his project Enhancement won the first prize at the Anthropocene conference at HKW Berlin.
