What Is A Hot Take
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What Is It
A hot take is a deliberately provocative commentary. It’s usually a controversial opinion, one that is often baseless.
In modern culture, this has a synonymous meaning with “unpopular opinion”. Or a strong opinion that you may not share the same fervour.
Etymology
The origins of this phrase came from sports journalism. In the early 2010s, small newsites (buzzfeed) would produce quick and glib responses to current events. This was to capitalize on the the fast news cycle and to cultivate traffic. Being first to market was a huge advantage with the news cycle and there was greater incentive to get something out, even if it meant lower quality.
Articles or opinion pieces would be written quickly with little thought or research. Controversial opinions had supporters, who came out of the shadows, and also attracted dissenting opinions. The highly heated discussions that took place resulted in engagement on the platform.
Hot refers to the aggressive nature and fervour.
Take refers to an perspective or interpretation.