Dear Twitter, we need a break

I’ve been falling out of love with Twitter in recent weeks, so much so I felt compelled to write about why.

I can definitely see the benefits of Twitter. Here are some:

• It can be used to promote new blog posts, releases, products etc. In fact I have been invovled in using it as a marketing tool and it was invaluable.
• You can create communities and easily find like minded people and those with shared interests (especially since the addition of Twitter lists).
• I have ‘met’ some fantastic people via Twitter and enjoy conversing with them and learning from them.
• It is perfect for utilising the knowledge and contacts of others. When I was made redundant the support of my Twitter pals and the number of job leads I received from them was incredible.
• It is a good tool for encouraging healthy debate and sharing opinions.
• It is a great platform for sharing wisdom, articles, asking questions and generally having access to a plethora of people that you would never normally be able to contact so easily.

Too easily?

But therein lays a problem. With many people able to connect so easily it leads to trouble. Here are some reasons I’m falling out of love with Twitter and please note that I have no quarms in admitting that I have been guilty of some of this myself too:

• Tweets can be taken the wrong way by those reading them
• People can make the tweets be about them and start unnecessary bickering
• Tweets can be used to target others negatively in an anonymous way
• Some tweeters seem to think that someone with a different opinion to them is wrong.
• People can join in conversations on Twitter part way through and again, take things out of context
• A lot of people moan on Twitter (I have) and sometimes you just don’t wanna see moany tweets in your stream
• It is a breeding ground for snide remarks, flipant comments and if truth be told, bitchiness.

Truncated Communication.

I think a big contributor to these negative aspects of Twitter is what I call, truncated communication. We are restricted by 140 characters or less so we have to choose our words wisely. At times we have to omit words and this can have a big impact on what we are trying to say.

A word, or lack of, can change the context of a tweet or accidently make a tweet seem negative, aimed at specific people/groups, or cause knee-jerk reactions which create conflict when there is no need.

Tone of Voice.

It is so easy when reading tweets, and this applies to emails too, to misinterpret the tone of voice in which something was meant.

If I were sat opposite someone, my tone of voice would communicate if I was being sarcastic, saying something in jest or down right livid. With online communication we don’t have this luxury and whilst a tweet might be sent innocently, we have no control over how the readers of that tweet will interpret it.

A 😉 or a 🙂 helps at times but there aren’t always enough charcters to tack one of these on the end!

Too easy to respond,

When we see a tweet that might annoy us or upset us then it is too easy to type a response and post it. Once that moment of retaliation or anger has subsided it’s too late. The tweet is already out there in the public domain. That’s why it is so important that we should all think before we tweet.

Practicing what I preach.

I’ve been more mindful of how I tweet lately and I do use Twitter less than a few months ago. In fact I think I’m going to take a back seat from it for the foreseeable future, simply using it for new blog posts like this one. I will watch what is going on but don’t think I will contribute as much for a while.

Likewise I once lived happily not knowing what people were eating or watching, not knowing where they were going or have just returned from. I’m going to review the tweets of those I follow and see what, for me, is noise and what is of interest. I’m not in any way trying to tell people what they should tweet, it is freedom of speech and people can and should say what they like (provided it is considered) but does it bring value to my life? I’m not sure it does. I didn’t need this information before, so why now?

In short …

I suppose my issue isn’t with Twitter itself but those that use it. Maybe the answer is to change the people I follow? I guess that Twitter is the vessel through which this communication flows and perhaps unfairly I am shooting the messenger here.

That said, I might start to fall in love with Twitter again after a cooling off period but for now it’s moving down my list of communication tools and I won’t be opening Twitterific this week in work. I will of course be using it to promote this blog post and if someone shares something of interest then I will click the link or retweet and so on but I’m afraid dear Twitter than for now at least, you will be sleeping on the sofa!

Am I overreacting? Please share your thoughts below.