We’re all probably familiar with the acronym WWJD. Increasingly, I like to filter internet posts using a different acronym: WWRBD. It’s a little less obvious: What Would a Russian Bot Do? It would definitely post a story to foment class warfare during an election cycle. 

That’s not what most of us are  trying to do when we post a link or retweet something that fires us up, but intentions don’t matter in these situations. In fact, good intentions are fuel. In today’s age, I believe it to be maximally responsible to consider the externalities of posting/reposting content. We should ask ourselves – What masters are served by the content, and do I want to serve those masters? A great way out of this trap is to offer a path forward rather than throwing red flags. Another option is to add nuance to the discussion vs. hammering only your point then dropping the mic.

So before posting something, ask yourself WWRBD?