Shills are paid. There are no unpaid shills.
To those of you too young to remember, paid shills have been at work a long time. The internet used to be a free and open space, with bulletin boards very similar to here. AOL was the first major venue to moderate its forums with behavioral violations in its terms of use, above and outside criminal violations. Various laws that may have meant well, eventually throttled the communications of good people in addition to criminals the laws sought to thwart. https://ncac.org/resource/a-selective-timeline-of-the-internet-and-censorship
JIDF
Around 2000, the JIDF began organized online campaigns to mobilize support against any spots or statements of what they perceive might be anti-semitism anywhere on the web.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Internet_Defense_Force
By 2007, the JIDF was policing all websites everywhere for any perceived violence or hatred (as defined by them). JIDF's paid network grew, and it went active in 2008 on MYSPACE and the newer Facebook. Suddenly on Myspace, people used the new 'anti-bullying' laws to protect children, to shout down whatever they didn't like, and it mirrored the sudden rise of 'offense' culture. Myspace began changing its format drastically, in response to all the 'complaints' it was getting. As people left Myspace, JIDF followed.
JIDF tactics include those primarily used to discredit the board and SHUT IT DOWN. Posting nazi imagery, black people hate threads, and biracial porn to point to.
Media Matters
In 2004, Media Matters was started by David Brock to counteract conservative news, and began an aggressive criticism of conservative media and outlets to push the narrative in a left leaning direction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Matters_for_America
Media Matters remained concerned primarily with undermining conservative news and media, up through 2010 in what Brock himself called an "all-out campaign of 'guerrilla warfare and sabotage.'" After they more or less completed their guerilla campaign against Fox news and other conservative news, they began pursuing all online spaces as well to shout down conservative views everywhere, not just news outlets.
Media Matters spread out into additional 'sub' organizations to control the web and destroy conservative voices and media: Correct the Record, and the current incarnation, American Bridge. But they are still all David Brock-operated and Soros-funded, and the goal is to suppress conservative voices and news. Brock tactics included any designed to shout you down and cause division. Contempt shills are Brock. Kayfabe shills are Brock. Splitters are Brock. Attempts to twist the tone of the board are Brock. Calling Q a larp is Brock.
Though both sites have both, and both sets learn tactics from each other,
currently, most shills on 4ch/pol are JIDF, and,
currently, most shills on 8ch/qresearch belong to Brock.
Clowns
American Bridge serves as the internet guerilla warfare arm of the deep state. However, actual clowns use infiltration, detailed larp and more involved psyop tactics, honeypots, and agent provocateurs. If its trying to get you organized in real life (to ID you), its clown. If its calling for you to spill out in the street, its clown. And if it tries to get you against the military or for you to seige against Law Enforcement, its clown.