Ad-hocracies, as Jill Anne Morris borrows from Alvin Toffler in her book The Internet as a Game, are groups that “not only come together quickly to solve a problem but that break apart again just as readily when a job is done” (12). Throughout the book, Morris mentions online ad-hocracies (or “ad-hocs” for short) that have zeroed in to troll targets from the Church of Scientology to independent game designers, from far-left bloggers to dark web pedophile rings.
The highest-profile target of recent internet trolling ad-hocracy is Marvel Studios’ latest release, Captain Marvel, the first from the studio to feature a female in the main leading role (after over ten years and twenty films). Even before the movie hit theatres, scores of largely anonymous internet users called for a boycott, claiming that Marvel is ruining the Marvel Cinematic Universe by including so-called “social justice warrior” content in the film. Exacerbated by an out-of-context quote from eponymous star Brie Larson (she was talking about her efforts to have more inclusive press junkets), a group comprised mostly of white males coalesced to sabotage Captain Marvel‘s release. The new ad-hoc created YouTube videos decrying Larson’s “man-hating” and how she has single-handedly cost Marvel millions of dollars, and they review-bombed the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes page. The difference between the professional critics’ “Certified Fresh” approval rating of 79% and the audience score of 41% is telling. The audience score was even lower before the movie came out; the vitriol against Captain Marvel was based purely on the movie’s trailers and on negative internet hype rather than the film itself.
The backlash against the film was strong enough to merit an official response and policy change from Rotten Tomatoes. On February 25th, still more than a week before the film’s release, site management released a statement notifying users of several new cosmetic and substantive differences, including disabling comments from non-critics before a movie’s release. The statement reads: “Unfortunately, we have seen an uptick in non-constructive input, sometimes bordering on trolling, which we believe is a disservice to our general readership” (par. 6). Although Captain Marvel is far from the first film to receive unmerited negative reviews on the site, the timing of the policy change is no coincidence. The multitudes of ad-hoc audience “reviewers” may claim that the film and its lead actress are tanking Marvel’s efforts, but the real perpetrators are the trolls themselves.
The question remains, then, what next? Per Morris’ definition of ad-hocracy, the group must disband when their goal has been achieved. Has this anti-Captain Marvel ad-hoc achieved its goal? What even is their goal to begin with? At face value, the “job” is simple: sabotage the movie’s release with boycotts, tweets, YouTube videos, and review-bombing. However, this incident feels like just another skirmish in a much larger conflict, both online and in the real world. Small ad-hocs may come and go, but as long as pop culture continues its trend of challenging patriarchal tropes and including more progressive material, will the conservative ad-hoc’s work ever be done?
For now, it seems unlikely.
Works Cited
Morris, Jill Anne. The Internet as a Game. Parlor Press, 2018
“Hello, We’re Making Some Changes.” Rotten Tomatoes Product Blog, 25 Feb. 2019. https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/making-some-changes/
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This is a great example of the potential of ad-hocracies and the frustration they can cause. I think Brie Larson did a great job of recognizing the internet as a game and she definitely was playing to win when she created the poster of smiling (and ridiculous) Marvel super heroes in response to trolls. Now, less than a week after the movie’s release, Rotten Tomatoes now shows a 60% audience approval rating. Morris says that it is often up to the audience to determine the outcome of the game (53). I think that over time, actual movie viewers will drown the ad-hoc’s impact and Larson’s response to trolls has brought even more interest in the movie. I think audiences are rating this campaign as a failure.
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Elizabeth,
I like how relevant this article is! I think this would be a great conversation to have with students in the classroom, because chances are that students will know about what you are talking about! It’s a great way to start a conversation about an important topics. I think that chances are, a student will encounter a form of trolling during their experiences on the internet. I also appreciate your question of what is the ad-hocs goal in doing this?
Thanks for your great post!
Sophia
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