While true, they are wrong of course. I also don't really think that trolls are a real issue, even if they have been thoroughly fed the last years. They also don't represent the worst in humanity. Everything that happened people did to themselves and they are looking for scapegoats and someone to blame. This is the worst of humanity. Granted, you could blame trolls, but that should not convince anyone.

At least not worse than the frightful recoil, abandoning ideals like free expression/speech, democracy and freedom. Equality still seems to be the holy cow even if it will collide with freedom at some point.

Stability can be convincing, but people in western nation do not have that excuse. Reading something on the net you don't like is no reason to abandon principles that any modern nation is based upon.

Democracy is the correct form of government, since it is the only form of governance that doesn't extract its legitimacy from power. Democracy requires emancipated voters. You cannot apply that to any third world country and suddenly things get better. It has to come from within a society.

There is also a secret to online mobs/trolls: ignore them and nothing happens. I also do not believe in the power of bots aside from faking ad reach. That would require an example of a talking point. This is why it was difficult to believe in far reaching Russian propaganda efforts: The message was lacking.

I do see the "hateful noise" of social media. If that matters to me is fully in my hands.

> their mere unfettered existence is enough to disturb people.

Mostly induced by false media reports.