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In the Sunday Blog post “Unpopular Opinion: You're Wrong About Hot Takes”, I attempted to defend hot takes by arguing that when crafted properly, they can serve hot benefits. This is some wishful thinking on my part though, because the fact is many people on social media won’t take the time to craft insightful hot takes. In fact, the term insightful hot takes may come off as oxymoronic. You either share an unadulterated hot take or you take the time to turn it into an insight.
This is an argument for the birds though. What I’m willing to do is admit that not all hot takes are created equal. And I mean that in more than one way. Surely, some people share hot takes that have validity to them. Many others do not.
Another way they differ is their nature. Often what you see on social media are hot takes revolving around politics or social issues. But hot takes can be lighthearted too. For example, contending that milk should go before cereal is a hot take. You’d be wrong. But it’s a hot take nonetheless.
Still, one final way hot takes differ is that some are outright offensive and/or lies. Hot takes can spark discussion, establish thought leadership, and give a voice to the minority, but this can backfire. Sparking discussion over unsubstantiated claims, establishing misinformants as thought leaders, or backing a dangerous minority are all potential results of hot takes.
This is largely a result of the free-speech nature of the internet. Everyone has the ability to share their take on any subject they want, regardless of their level of expertise. Should they happen to go viral, it’s a hot cause for concern. Far be it from me to prevent anyone from speaking their mind. What I mean to do instead is to encourage a level of vigilance on the part of listeners. Responsible listening, if you will.
In a world where anyone can have a take on anything and easily share that take, it behooves us to be aware of this small but powerful truth. Not every hot take needs to be entertained. Some blatantly exist to ruffle feathers for the sake of ruffling feathers. False information is a huge threat on social media.
While hot takes do a good job of roping people into the crossfires of rapid discussion, when you hear a take that sounds a little too hot, it can help to stop for a moment. Is the speaker trolling? Can I fact-check what was just said? Is there any benefit in engaging this hot take? Not all hot takes are created equal. Some we best leave to burn into ashes.
Tuesday Deep Dive is a series where we discuss in more detail a specific point made in the previous Sunday Blog.