What happened to the formerly fearsome right-wing media troll? | Recode

Tangentially, see Infowars returned to YouTube. It lasted less than a day. | Washington Post

"What happened? A few things, says CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who specializes in tracking conservative media:

• The platforms that gave many of the trolls a home, namely Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, have become less welcoming, particularly to those who advocate harassment and worse; in some cases, like that of Yiannopoulos, they have kicked them off their service entirely. And despite promises to create new platforms that would challenge the big tech companies, trolls who have been “de-platformed” have found it hard to reconstitute their followings in new locations.
• The media has belatedly focused its attention on the direct and powerful link between Fox News and the White House, and now realizes that what that channel’s stars say to Trump — both on- and off-air — has enormous impact on his thinking, policies, and actions. There’s no equivalent to Tucker Carlson or Fox and Friends that’s mainly on Twitter.
• News outlets like things that are new. The right-wing troll isn’t a new idea anymore, so it’s going to get less attention. And attention helps feed the trolls."

What happened to the formerly fearsome right-wing media troll? | Recode