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should_i_take_the_bait

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Should I Take the Bait?

“Should I Take the Bait?” is a brief analysis of the arguments about how one should handle the ancient traditions of flamebaiting,1) trolling, ragebaiting, or whatever it's called nowadays. However, be warned that the article does not intend to provide a definitive answer.

Arguments against

The arguments against taking the bait relies on the ancient mantra of 'DNFTT' (do not feed the troll), as it was often believed that replies only 'encourage' them. One could pretend they're in a bad drama and reply with a lame quip,2) but doing this amplifies the troll's reach and visibility, plus you would be dragging your audience or followers into the mess.3) You can also, like, scroll past a post, which has always been an option.

In addition, some platforms 'incentivize' bait (e.g. bad faith arguments, disingenuity, ragebaiting), knowing that angry people will stay on a platform longer and, in turn, generate more advertiser revenue. Replies can even reward the troll, especially if you believe in foreign troll farms.4) All in all, just assess your surroundings, pick your battles wisely,5) and maybe consider logging off while society grows irritable.

Arguments for

The arguments for taking the bait, assuming that moderation exists,6) is that failure to reply could add up and result in a 'consensus crack' where certain ideas gradually become 'accepted' if there is no clear opposition. Naturally, the logical conclusion is mob justice or vigilantism, but you can only do so much to cowards behind a screen, so 'accountability' (i.e. call-out, receipts) or 'public humiliation' will usually suffice.

In addition, simply 'blocking' or 'ignoring' the problem isn't a perfect solution. There's no guarantee that others won't engage, or that the problem would even stop if you did. When somebody gets harassed, you wouldn't say their problem is 'inevitable' and blame the victim for wanting something done, so why is 'DNFTT' still here? The fuck if I know, just don't let your first move be a damn paragraph.

Notes

  • If you follow Christianity or Judaism, you might want to note that Proverbs 26:4-5 argues against taking the bait. However, applying religion to the internet is already an extremely tall task.
1)
The original term was 'flame baiting', thus why older communities forbade 'flaming' or 'flame wars', but this sorta became obsolete as you had to explain what 'flame' meant. It was then replaced with 'trolling', then it saw a revival in the form of 'baiting' during the 2010s, which '-bait' as a suffix has carried into the present day.
2)
In some environments, this may be referred to as a 'clapback', a 'dunk', a 'one-liner', a 'roast', and so on.
3)
Most people would simply grow annoyed that you're even engaging with them, but there is the small chance that a follower ends up agreeing with the troll's viewpoint instead of yours, so watch your back.
4)
If you've ever heard about content farms, it shouldn't surprise you that one way to farm engagement is ragebaiting. This would normally come at the cost of losing your audience and revenue, thus why struggling media outlets use it as a last resort, but Twitter is minimalist and run by idiots, so there's no real penalty.
5)
Some might phrase this as “be the bigger person”, but I'd personally say to “calculate your next move” and “don't let it drag out” since a basic idea of crisis management can potentially go a long way.
6)
This argument relies on the idea that the community has actual moderation, so assess your surroundings. Most anonymous communities have low standards by design, so you shouldn't get much 'help' there anyways, but it's a whole new ball game if we're talking about a group chat, a niche forum, a social platform, etc.
should_i_take_the_bait.txt · Last modified: by namelessrumia