A recognisable stretch of time in an online personality's or community's history defined by an escalating pattern of provocative, reaction-farming behaviour. The bait arc is usually discussed retrospectively: fans or critics notice that every major moment during a period was engineered for controversy, drama, or dunks. Some bait arcs are calculated; some are chaotic self-destruction. Either way, people will draw up timelines.
Looking back, the entire summer was a bait arc — every post was designed to start a fight.
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Viral internet speak — memes, ratios, main-character moments, and the algospeak of every platform from Twitter to Reddit to TikTok comment sections.
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