show transcript
agnesmontague posts:devastating news for the discourse poster: “media literacy” in the modern age includes the ability to identify which posts are bait
agnesmontague replies:
before you go on lamenting the death of media literacy on the post of some guy who may, perhaps, have a financial incentive to get as many eyes on their slop as humanly possible, take a second to assess whether this "literacy" you speak of could apply to you in this very moment, because otherwise, brother, i bear some bad news
agnesmontague replies:
(quoted tumblr tag)
#anybody got pointers for those who don't know the signs of bait?
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i'm glad someone asked, though unfortunately i don't think there is any set of rules or pointers to abide by; my principle is that if a take is "too hot" (worded in an inflammatory way, way overbroad or generalized, reads offensively) on a platform that rewards engagement (twitter, tiktok, or youtube, mostly, though not confined to those), it's likely bait for the sake of baiting, although to be honest i have never once found it a loss to simply ignore/block any take online that pisses me off regardless of whether i think it is sincere or in good faith. so my rule of thumb is to just not engage, generally
link to the original post:
https://www.tumblr.com/agnesmontague/772674603403345921
Even if something is clearly bait, it still might be worth pushing back against. All internet arguments, bait or not, are principly about the audience, not the person you're responding to. I honestly don't care what someone's motivation is. If someone says bad shit uncontested, people start believing it.
This even applies to someone saying something to troll. If they tell a lie often enough, they tend to internalize it. If you actually want to influence a troll, make them not want to troll there. Give pushback that isn't fun for them to respond to.
agreed, not falling for bait ≠ not responding. it's still important to recognize it as such however
I've found that my best responses both take them at face value, AND make them not want to troll anymore