The data does not support this. At Stack Exchange, my previous company, we did extensive data analysis on participation there. (Stack Exchange is a top 50 network of worldwide Q&A sites) What we found is that the number one way to get someone to go away… is to ignore them. All the data we have shows that Interacting with a user in any way, even downvoting them, makes it far more likely that they will return. For example:
While I agree that obvious evil should be handled, ideally through flagging and removal, every time you reply to someone you are sending them an engraved invitation to reply back – and possibly even return over time to hang out here.
I recommend only replying to posters that seem to be participating in reasonable good faith, that is, they appear receptive to hearing other points of view, potentially evolving their own point of view, and are not here to endlessly recite talking points or parrot extremism. Before replying, ask yourself: do I really want this person to come back?
While “burning trollies” might seem like a sick kind of fun, all you’re really doing is destroying the environment here. And that hurts everyone. If anything, we should kill trollies with cloying kindness and patient rebuttals, or even better, absolute silence followed by flagging and removal of their posts.
