This is going to be a post about Twitter. I know some of my friends are virulently anti-Twitter, but I’m asking that you bear through this and go with what I’m saying.
I joined Twitter on a lark. I knew people were joining up and had felt you couldn’t really say a hell of a lot in just 140 characters. But the Lynsens got me involved and I have to say that I spend more time on Twitter than I do than the ever-declining Facebook. Partially because I started following people who were funny and could really cram a good laugh in that small space. Also, on some of the celebrities that do performances, you can catch shows that you might have missed. And some people post links to some really interesting things on the web. I was hooked. Twitter wasn’t dumb anymore and did have something to offer. I started to follow my friends who were on Twitter and also people of interest that I thought were pretty interesting or funny.
Recently, one of the celebs that I follow recommended another celebrity. I was familiar with the person’s work and thought it might be fun to see what they were up to. Follow away, I thought. Then I saw the tweets from this person.
The tweets ran against my moral compass, linking to people who I didn’t like, critical of people I did like and really nothing in between. The first thought that crossed my mind was that as much respect I had for this person’s work as an actor, I didn’t think much of his views and didn’t really care for that expression in my Twitter stream. My second thought on this was far more interesting though. I considered that maybe I was carving out my own ideological cave where any thoughts or expressions that ran contrary to my own beliefs would just be thrown out without any consideration and treated with derision. I had to think about this as I’ve always considered myself an open minded person. It really bothered me. I eventually stopped following the person after a “meeting of the minds” exchange with someone whom I have no respect for and whom I consider morally bankrupt.
It still bothered me that I made that uncomfortable choice. My Twitter stream is populated with people that I largely hold the same views and ideals. I don’t go out of my way with finding those other views when it’s just easier to follow people who I would like to see. I am concerned with balance, in fairly hearing opposing viewpoints. As I looked further and deeper into the people I followed, I did notice something. Those people would link to topics or happenings and maybe comment on them, but they left out disparaging comments about people who might have been involved. It was the situation they were interested in and not the personalities necessarily that may surround the issue.
It’s too easy these days to create your own echo chamber. Not so many years ago, we knew our neighbors and talked with them, even if they held opposing views on topics which you felt strongly towards. We had to be civil because that’s the way you were in society. In many ways, I think we were better off then because you knew and understood the point of view of someone who didn’t agree with you. That was expected and taught a measure of tolerance. Today, we have media saturation and its ability to comment upon anything that swings into view, then does its best to boil down every issue into just two sides. Shades of grey are not acceptable, you’re either with us or against us. With the web creeping further and further into our homes, it’s easier than ever to connect with others who have the same homogenized views, often carefully crafted from someone else who has some interest in keeping issues black and white.
When checking the people that I followed, I found no talking heads. Although my views fall with what people would consider liberal, I don’t follow either side. Why bother because they often spend their time tearing apart the personalities around the issues rather than spend qualitative time analyzing issues I would consider important. Why then should I follow someone who links or repeats carefully crafted messages meant to embolden their base and please the people who funded that message in the first place. Once I had these thoughts worked out, it was with an easy mind that I felt like I could stop following people who were this level of pseudo-intellectual. I don’t like wasting time with those who don’t take the time to examine their own beliefs.
However, now I feel like I should try to find people/organizations on Twitter that discuss issues with which I’m concerned. It’s a worthier cause than just finding people who revel in the schadenfreude of their contemporaries and ignore their own shortcomings.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.