brigading

[ bri-gey-ding ]

noun

, Digital Technology.

1. the practice of organizing or participating in a coordinated campaign of online harassment against a targeted individual or group, especially on social media:

   Female streamers and members or allies of marginalized groups are targeted more often and suffer more persistent brigading on their channels.

2. Usually vote brigading. the practice of manipulating an online poll with an organized campaign of favorable or unfavorable votes, often as a general statement of approval or disapproval for a group, an individual, or their beliefs and affiliations rather than a genuine opinion about a specific question: review bomb.

   The movie was a target of vote brigading in the first week of its release, dragging its rating down even though it was popular among audiences in the theater.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brigading¹

First recorded in 2015–20; brigad(e) ( def ) + -ing ¹( def )

Example Sentences

December’s report homes in on two new categories that Meta is targeting for disruption — “brigading” and “mass reporting.”

From Washington Post

Such cases include instances of “brigading,” or coordinated campaigns of harassment in the form of hostile replies or downvotes.

From Los Angeles Times

Facebook said that such coordinated campaigns, known as brigading, are a new area that the company is starting to police.

From Washington Post

Still, the online brigading is a symptom of modern-day cancel culture politics, where trying to hurt a business is as easy as clicking a mouse button on a down arrow.

From Washington Times

Reddit and other forums are infamous for “brigading” — coordinating hordes to move at once to make their mark on the real world.

From Washington Post