We all have been involved in a Social Media fight at some point in our life. Whether it was a forum on PS Vs Xbox or iPhone vs Android… We fight fight and still sometimes loose. Turns out that typical arguments (between Husband and Wife) are never about who’s right and who’s wrong… They are all about who’s the women. And so do most arguments on Social Media. It’s not a fight of right and wrong…
So I usually don’t get involved into Social Media fights… *grabs popcorn*. But I am interested in it. And have seen a lot of these in my lifetime (15 and counting). So here’s a strategies that I have seen working and sometimes failing…
Disclaimer: These are all based on my personal experience, this is not a expert list… I should not be held responsible for any consequences if any of these strategies go wrong… THANK YOU!
Analyse:
Before you pick your strategy. Please do a little analysis on the following:
- The opposing party… Are they strong? Are they involved in criminal activities? Do they have a die-hard following? What kind of cards can they play?
- The case… Is your case strong enough? Is your case easily understandable? What does law say about it (If Applicable)?
- The intensity… Is it worth your time and effort
This will help you pick the right strategy at the right time.
Strategy 1: Avoid. Ignore. Don’t Get Involved.
You CANNOT fight with a guy who’s not willing to fight back. So if someone called you a idiot on Social Media. You probably don’t need to even answer back. In fact, only if it starts gaining attraction, you’ll need to start speaking… “feedback appreciated” OR “you are entitled to your opinion” works.
It may seem like the ‘nothing-burgers’ do make a dent. They usually don’t. However, this strategy is not appropriate in many situations. In fact, in bigger fights where big guys are involved… This “Ignorant” and “I-don’t-care” attitude can backfire. Because you seriously don’t want the public to start calling you the “social-media-fugitive”.
Just try your best to NOT start a fight. Works most of the time.
Strategy 2: Get them involved, without strengthening their case.
Now in sometimes the case is serious, the other party is strong or you just started a fight without reading this article. And you just need to make it a fair fight. Psychology has it [1]. Don’t defend… ATTACK. It’s human nature, when you get defensive, the opponent becomes more aggressive. So justifying yourself is the last option you should consider.
In most cases, you’ll find the other party way more controversial than you. Pull up some of their previous controversies and let the social media referees (the “neutral” guys) do the work. They’ll spread it like fire in the wood. And if you are lucky enough, the other guy will get on his defense mode… and ultimately, end up defending himself.
But before you start crawling google for scandals on whosoever. Make sure that the opponent has no cards (like, I am 15, I am a Muslim, Just because I was first to this thing) to play. And a plus would be having followers on Social Media, to get the word out.
Strategy 3: Provoke.
If the case has a Legal side to it. And you know you’ll win it. PROVOKE. Get them to their worst. It will not only strengthen your legal side but also cause counter-defamation to the opposition.
Now provoking doesn’t always mean to stand in-front of them and ‘shouting’. Sometimes happy pictures on Facebook work. Or even better, not giving an answer on Social Media works. Although, this is against strategy 2 (if we look at the Psychological part – You’ll make them aggressive)… Sometimes, you want the opposition to leave loop-holes, controversial statements and stuff so that you can sue them later.
Make sure you don’t make the legal side too complex. That’s your key here.
Strategy 4: Defend.
So, if everything else fails, you’ll have to defend yourself. But again, you gotta make it worthwhile. Watch this TED Talk [2]. Always use the right medium to attract the right audience, I would always prefer a video because of it’s potential on social media.
Here are a few tips:
- Don’t use your own stuff! A article from NYT is way more authentic than your own reports.
- Don’t Stress. Start enjoying, builds pressure on the other party… Make sure they don’t make a dent on your happy life.
- Play your cards. We all have cards. Like “I am 15”, “I am the first….”, “The Zionists are attacking another Muslim… Me”. Always useful on social media.
- Play Psychological Game. ^ Watch the TED Talk.
- Don’t Acquire Amateurs Support. BACKFIRES. Always acquire smart guys to help you out. The amateurs can not only leave loop-holes and controversial statements on social media, they might damage your legal side.
- “With all due respect”. If it’s necessary to destroy someone, do it with “all due respect”… So that the other guy can’t use his sympathy cards.
- DON’T be abusive. This is the worst that can happen. The moment you start attacking someone personally, SM referees loose their minds.
Good Luck with your social media war. Let me know if any of these help you out. There’s always room for improvements… Really looking forward to your suggestions.
1: Amy Cudy TED Talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en)
2: Will Stephen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S0FDjFBj8o)
* Images are downloaded from GOOGLE.
