At the end of 2018, Sarah Haider, Executive Director of Ex-Muslims of North America, announced that she was making a New Year’s resolution on Twitter that would hopefully make her interactions with others pleasant. I liked her advice so much I saved it along with a collection of other recommendations I have read.
Sarah Haider’s Rules:
No snark ever. No liking/rting (retweeting) “dunks” (no matter how valid).- Aim for high ratio of sharing good work to criticizing bad work.
- When criticizing, provide solutions or alternative.
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The reactions to her new rules were overwhelmingly positive, but… there were many who protested the idea of “no snark.”
So what exactly is “snark”?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word snark dates back to 1876. It was originally coined by Lewis Carroll as a nonsense word in The Hunting of the Snark.
On Twitter, it is an informal North American term that means to make snide and sharply critical comments.
Merriam Webster defines snark as an attitude or expression of mocking irreverence and sarcasm and suggests that snark first appeared in informal use around 1999.
Urban Dictionary identifies snark as a combination of the words “snide” and “remark”. Other definitions referred to sarcastic comments that should be creative, subtle, and stabbing all at once.
Snark may be thought of as a smart ass remark or the equivalent of talking smack or dissing.
There are apparently degrees of snark. Some users describe snark as mere teasing, while others see it as more malicious.
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Opposition to Snark
The snark-opposition can be very strong. Some users will not tolerate it all, calling it an automatic unfollow, while others object to it on humanitarian grounds, assuming the snark comes from a troubled place.
Snark Supporters
Some find snark to be a form of correcting others because they are simply hopeless to even engage and deserve nothing more. Besides, they say, if done properly and sparingly, it simply makes Twitter more fun.
Others believe the Twitter word limit invites snark and that people who want a no-snark environment should just go back to Facebook.
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“Dunking” on Twitter is defined as using the “retweet with comment” function and mocking the quoted tweet.
In general, people don’t seem to mind this quite as much, probably because it is very often aimed at a public figure. If it is not a public figure, the greatest risk would be the inciting of a dogpile or accusations of “punching down” which can certainly backfire.
Often, a retweet or subtweet is actually complimentary, and, as Haider notes, can be a great way to share good content.
Critique
Critique without constructive feedback doesn’t seem to be very popular. Some find it boring and just plain lazy. There seems to be a certain consensus that there are those who try to get attention or increase follower accounts through these tactics. An account that never produces content or that provides dishonest content doesn’t seem to be worth much time. It seems many actually appreciate positivity and constructivity!
Other tips:
Be aware of Twitter rules and avoid hateful conduct as defined by its policies. Twitter is not a free speech website. Remember that rules are constantly revised.
Consider that you are the curator of your own Twitter feed. Design it the way you want to be.
Be charitable with others. Assume good faith unless or until proven otherwise.
Block and mute as necessary. Many people feel blocking or muting is a weakness or surrender, but there are accounts that are just not worth engaging. Others seem to have little else to do and will simply waste valuable time. Occasionally, accounts actually become abusive and need to go.
Confront slurs and/or misrepresentations of your statements or ideas and then cease further interaction.
Take breaks if necessary or consider taking your account private for a bit. Maintain calm and composure. Apologize if it’s warranted.
Stay away from out-of-context isolated tweets or viral videos. There is often much more to the story.
Read or at least skim articles before commenting. Headlines are often quite misleading.
Don’t participate in outrage mobbing, especially if the person is not a public figure or is underage.
Treat others with dignity. Some do suffer from mental health problems and may not have other communication outlets. Stay humble.
Embrace good digital citizenship and never retweet fake news. Fact check.
Use humor or gentle teasing to ease tension.
Ask questions.
The Roseanne Rule: Tweet while intoxicated at your own risk. Remember that even though she apologized profusely, she was ostracized.