footpad, posts by tag: twitter - LiveJournal (original) (raw)

I done twat	[Sep. 15th, 2019\|11:35 pm]Footpad
[Tags\|twitter] [Current Mood	pragmatic]I have deactivated my Twitter account. I might reactivate it long enough to temporarily post a link to this post to explain why and where I've gone, but otherwise this absence is probably final. After going on and off it a few times, I have concluded to my satisfaction that Twitter is inherently and irremediably socially and intellectually destructive and that I (and you) will be happier, wiser and healthier without it.The crux of this is politics, and dialogue with my friends on the other side of the political divide, some of whom I know to have deeply nuanced and considered opinions. Twitter makes these people sound like fuckwits to me, and, no matter how hard I try, it makes me sound like a fuckwit to them. Politics is hard. Like any complex topic, it needs time and space: space for nuance, time for reflection and mutual accommodation. Twitter permits neither. It crushes the subtlety of real-world opinions into mutilated bonsai soundbites. Stripped of the depth and detail of reality, these soundbites become trivially refutable, and thus stupid, and thus contemptible, and thus infuriating. So Twitter becomes part of the vast mechanism that has turned our politics into a cesspool of vitriol and mutual incomprehension. For this alone, Twitter is loathsome and deserves our contempt.I could of course just forbear from political discussion, or even unfollow people who post political opinions, but why should I even need to apply such an extraordinary constraint? The problem here is not the friends or the opinions. The problem is the medium, Twitter itself. And it's not just politics. The same pathology applies to any discussion on any topic of any merit.Meanwhile Twitter suffers all the other pathologies of social media: the fostering and projection of an artificial ego, the nourishment-free pabulum of ersatz social contact, the Fear Of Missing Out. I'm sure it's possible to work round these things, and to foster a happy and rewarding environment on Twitter. I had some success in that direction myself: I was mindful of my usage, and I mostly only followed people I'd met in person. But the entire environment militates against it. Some people do grow beautiful roses in that there horseshit, but that doesn't mean it's sensible to live in a midden.There's plenty of merit in Twitter too, of course. There's friends, and wit, insight, trouvailles, repartée, dog pictures. I'll miss sharing all these things. But I won't miss the feeling of an endless contest for nebulous appoval points, I won't miss the urge to check my feed thirteen times a day, and I sure as all hell won't miss having to amputate the resources of my mind in order to fit them into 280 characters. So goodbye Twitter, and, on balance, a resounding good riddance.I think I'd still like somewhere to post pictures of my dog though. Hmmmm... —This post was made on dreamwidth.org, here. If you can, please comment there, because LJ's bugs make it gratuitously hard for me to answer your comments on LJ.
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[Sep. 15th, 2019|11:35 pm]Footpad

[Tags**|twitter] [Current Mood**

pragmatic]I have deactivated my Twitter account. I might reactivate it long enough to temporarily post a link to this post to explain why and where I've gone, but otherwise this absence is probably final. After going on and off it a few times, I have concluded to my satisfaction that Twitter is inherently and irremediably socially and intellectually destructive and that I (and you) will be happier, wiser and healthier without it.The crux of this is politics, and dialogue with my friends on the other side of the political divide, some of whom I know to have deeply nuanced and considered opinions. Twitter makes these people sound like fuckwits to me, and, no matter how hard I try, it makes me sound like a fuckwit to them. Politics is hard. Like any complex topic, it needs time and space: space for nuance, time for reflection and mutual accommodation. Twitter permits neither. It crushes the subtlety of real-world opinions into mutilated bonsai soundbites. Stripped of the depth and detail of reality, these soundbites become trivially refutable, and thus stupid, and thus contemptible, and thus infuriating. So Twitter becomes part of the vast mechanism that has turned our politics into a cesspool of vitriol and mutual incomprehension. For this alone, Twitter is loathsome and deserves our contempt.I could of course just forbear from political discussion, or even unfollow people who post political opinions, but why should I even need to apply such an extraordinary constraint? The problem here is not the friends or the opinions. The problem is the medium, Twitter itself. And it's not just politics. The same pathology applies to any discussion on any topic of any merit.Meanwhile Twitter suffers all the other pathologies of social media: the fostering and projection of an artificial ego, the nourishment-free pabulum of ersatz social contact, the Fear Of Missing Out. I'm sure it's possible to work round these things, and to foster a happy and rewarding environment on Twitter. I had some success in that direction myself: I was mindful of my usage, and I mostly only followed people I'd met in person. But the entire environment militates against it. Some people do grow beautiful roses in that there horseshit, but that doesn't mean it's sensible to live in a midden.There's plenty of merit in Twitter too, of course. There's friends, and wit, insight, trouvailles, repartée, dog pictures. I'll miss sharing all these things. But I won't miss the feeling of an endless contest for nebulous appoval points, I won't miss the urge to check my feed thirteen times a day, and I sure as all hell won't miss having to amputate the resources of my mind in order to fit them into 280 characters. So goodbye Twitter, and, on balance, a resounding good riddance.I think I'd still like somewhere to post pictures of my dog though. Hmmmm... —This post was made on dreamwidth.org, here. If you can, please comment there, because LJ's bugs make it gratuitously hard for me to answer your comments on LJ.

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The Laws of Twitterzenship, As Proposed By Footpad	[May. 24th, 2012\|10:06 am]Footpad
[Tags\|manifesto, twitter, twitterzenship] [Current Mood	goofy]Twitter does suck. I've no problem with that. Burger King sucks too but I still tolerate it as an occasional indulgence.While I've been playing with Twitter fairly consistently over the past month or so, I've noticed various patterns that I think suck unnecessarily. If people didn't follow them then, by my reckoning, Twitter would suck less than it does.Chances are that the world disagrees with me. Evidence thereto: Twitter. Nonetheless here, for your viewing pleasure and conceivably even your edification, lies the Twitter Manifesto à la Footpad.Consider:Is your tweet really necessary?Twitter is by nature ephemeral and inconsequential. Some tweets can be profound, some even iconic, but many can be frivolous. It's not like every tweet has to be straight out of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Even so, folks, they've got to have some sense to 'em. Is there not already enough mindless blither in our poor hectic world, that you have to supplement it with your own?Herein, Law the Oneth of Twitterzenship: Make It Meaningful.¡Independencia!The biggest problem with Twitter is that, taken out of context, many tweets are meaningless. They're replies to people I'm not following, or continuations of earlier trains of thought, or they're a reference to something I'm just not cool enough to know about. To me, and probably to half the rest of your audience, they're just going to be a big can of wtf.Law the Twoth of Twitterzenship: Make It Make Sense On Its Own.Avalaaaaanche!Even with your wit and breathtaking insight, there can be too much of a good thing. Let your audience get sight of somebody else; let them even get their own word in edgeways. If you're as boring and sessile as the rest of us, three to five tweets a day is probably plenty. We don't absolutely need to know that you're drinking coffee and Starbucks still tastes like Starbucks.Law the Threeth of Twitterzenship: Rein It In Just A Bit, Would You?Get a room.A little while ago I had the privilege of watching an impassioned (though reasonably respectful) Twittergument between two people whom I happen to respect and think a lot of. They do hold fairly different views and they have a lot of scope for disagreement, but, knowing both of them, I could see how the mechanisms of Twitter conspired to mangle and shuffle their arguments until even they barely appeared to know what they were talking about.Arguing a complex point over Twitter is like a blindfold boxing-match in a phone booth, as directed by Uwe Boll. Points and counter-points flying hither and yon; nobody (least of all the audience) has a clue who's answering what from when, except that everyone knows it sucks.If you find yourself in a tweet-duel then for heaven's sake make a momentary truce and demand satisfaction somewhere you can actually settle the matter in a fair fight. Before the rest of us strangle you or, far worse, unfollow you.Law the Fourfthf of Twitterzenship: All Arguments Shall Self-Destruct Whether You Like It Or Not, So Don't.It's Tweet or Blog, Not Bleet or Twog140 characters, people. That does not mean writing an essay in seventeen consecutive tweets. @avon_deer, darling, I'm looking at you. If it won't fit in a tweet, chances are it doesn't belong on Twitter. But, as with furry pornography, there's usually a way to make it fit.Law the Fifthfthth of Twitterzenship: Hone It.Do as I say.Just a casual remark to round this post off. Forewarned is forearmed, eh?Within seven days of this post, every Twit shall have inhaled this post and tumbled helplessly into the thrall of its magisterial wisdom. I shall rule the Twittiverse and my word shall be a tocsin of truth such as rends the hearts of worlds. Do yourself a favour and start obeying me now. Those who first flock to my banner shall have mostly-guaranteed breathing privileges and occasional deliciously-fresh protein supplements.Law the Ssssixthhthbbbbt of Twittership: ... ... aw balls, just go have fun.
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The Laws of Twitterzenship, As Proposed By Footpad

[May. 24th, 2012|10:06 am]Footpad

[Tags**|manifesto, twitter, twitterzenship] [Current Mood**

goofy]Twitter does suck. I've no problem with that. Burger King sucks too but I still tolerate it as an occasional indulgence.While I've been playing with Twitter fairly consistently over the past month or so, I've noticed various patterns that I think suck unnecessarily. If people didn't follow them then, by my reckoning, Twitter would suck less than it does.Chances are that the world disagrees with me. Evidence thereto: Twitter. Nonetheless here, for your viewing pleasure and conceivably even your edification, lies the Twitter Manifesto à la Footpad.Consider:**Is your tweet really necessary?**Twitter is by nature ephemeral and inconsequential. Some tweets can be profound, some even iconic, but many can be frivolous. It's not like every tweet has to be straight out of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Even so, folks, they've got to have some sense to 'em. Is there not already enough mindless blither in our poor hectic world, that you have to supplement it with your own?Herein, Law the Oneth of Twitterzenship: Make It Meaningful.**¡Independencia!**The biggest problem with Twitter is that, taken out of context, many tweets are meaningless. They're replies to people I'm not following, or continuations of earlier trains of thought, or they're a reference to something I'm just not cool enough to know about. To me, and probably to half the rest of your audience, they're just going to be a big can of wtf.Law the Twoth of Twitterzenship: Make It Make Sense On Its Own.**Avalaaaaanche!**Even with your wit and breathtaking insight, there can be too much of a good thing. Let your audience get sight of somebody else; let them even get their own word in edgeways. If you're as boring and sessile as the rest of us, three to five tweets a day is probably plenty. We don't absolutely need to know that you're drinking coffee and Starbucks still tastes like Starbucks.Law the Threeth of Twitterzenship: Rein It In Just A Bit, Would You?**Get a room.**A little while ago I had the privilege of watching an impassioned (though reasonably respectful) Twittergument between two people whom I happen to respect and think a lot of. They do hold fairly different views and they have a lot of scope for disagreement, but, knowing both of them, I could see how the mechanisms of Twitter conspired to mangle and shuffle their arguments until even they barely appeared to know what they were talking about.Arguing a complex point over Twitter is like a blindfold boxing-match in a phone booth, as directed by Uwe Boll. Points and counter-points flying hither and yon; nobody (least of all the audience) has a clue who's answering what from when, except that everyone knows it sucks.If you find yourself in a tweet-duel then for heaven's sake make a momentary truce and demand satisfaction somewhere you can actually settle the matter in a fair fight. Before the rest of us strangle you or, far worse, unfollow you.Law the Fourfthf of Twitterzenship: All Arguments Shall Self-Destruct Whether You Like It Or Not, So Don't.It's Tweet or Blog, Not Bleet or Twog140 characters, people. That does not mean writing an essay in seventeen consecutive tweets. @avon_deer, darling, I'm looking at you. If it won't fit in a tweet, chances are it doesn't belong on Twitter. But, as with furry pornography, there's usually a way to make it fit.Law the Fifthfthth of Twitterzenship: Hone It.**Do as I say.**Just a casual remark to round this post off. Forewarned is forearmed, eh?Within seven days of this post, every Twit shall have inhaled this post and tumbled helplessly into the thrall of its magisterial wisdom. I shall rule the Twittiverse and my word shall be a tocsin of truth such as rends the hearts of worlds. Do yourself a favour and start obeying me now. Those who first flock to my banner shall have mostly-guaranteed breathing privileges and occasional deliciously-fresh protein supplements.Law the Ssssixthhthbbbbt of Twittership: ... ... aw balls, just go have fun.

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Twitter vs LiveJournal	[Feb. 13th, 2011\|11:39 am]Footpad
[Tags\|lj, rumination, storm in a teacup, twitter] [Current Mood	lazy]There are two things I always loathed about Twitter:(1) some good bloggers seem to regard it as an outlet for all their communication needs, and(2) some good Twitterers seem to think that tweets make good blog posts.The second assertion, of course, is bollocks, and probably the single greatest reason why bloggers hate Twitter: because people started dumping their twitter feeds into LJ, where they make about as much contextual sense as the sequence of footage excerpts that comprise an Uwe Boll film trailer.The first assertion is... well, it's up to people what they write, and I can't blame people for not blogging—my own output has slackened greatly of late, and Twitter is probably the least of the reasons why a bunch of people have ceased to update their blogs. But in some cases I have my suspicions.Fact is, Twitter and LJ are completely different forums for a completely different style of communication of completely different information. Blogging is a place for considered remarks that will stand the test of time and retain their pertinence for a while—a month, a century. Tweets, by design, have a relevancy half-life on the scale of hours. They're there to be noticed, or not; read, or not; clicked on, or not—and then forgotten in the eternal welter of ongoing blither.Blog: I have an abiding fascination with the Lepidoptera.Twitter: ooh, butterfly!And nobody with any sense, from the very inception of Twitter, has ever pretended anything else. Blaming Twitter for that is like blaming suburban tea-parties for air-headed socialites.I like my blog better than I like my Twitter feed. The blog's where I actually say stuff. But Twitter provides an outlet for all those one-liners, observations and trouvailles, which are too ephemeral and contextual to be worth recording for any length of time, but which I'd like to toss out for the world to share the fun. Twitter's the place to find out who else likes puppies, who else thinks Mubarak sounds like a byre, and who's interested in coffee at Mongle's.We should be grateful to have a place for that stuff so it doesn't have to go in LiveJournal.—A few people have blitzed Twitter for being a vapid, attention-deficient attention-getting market. I think we've covered the vapidity and ADHD. As regards attention, though: doesn't the same go for LiveJournal? Blogging is a public game, vindicated and fulfilled by the attention and responses it gets. I've kept private diaries in my time (though I later published them on LJ), but, let's face it, if I all I wanted was a diary then I'd still be using paper and pen.
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Twitter vs LiveJournal

[Feb. 13th, 2011|11:39 am]Footpad

[Tags**|lj, rumination, storm in a teacup, twitter] [Current Mood**

lazy]There are two things I always loathed about Twitter:(1) some good bloggers seem to regard it as an outlet for all their communication needs, and(2) some good Twitterers seem to think that tweets make good blog posts.The second assertion, of course, is bollocks, and probably the single greatest reason why bloggers hate Twitter: because people started dumping their twitter feeds into LJ, where they make about as much contextual sense as the sequence of footage excerpts that comprise an Uwe Boll film trailer.The first assertion is... well, it's up to people what they write, and I can't blame people for not blogging—my own output has slackened greatly of late, and Twitter is probably the least of the reasons why a bunch of people have ceased to update their blogs. But in some cases I have my suspicions.Fact is, Twitter and LJ are completely different forums for a completely different style of communication of completely different information. Blogging is a place for considered remarks that will stand the test of time and retain their pertinence for a while—a month, a century. Tweets, by design, have a relevancy half-life on the scale of hours. They're there to be noticed, or not; read, or not; clicked on, or not—and then forgotten in the eternal welter of ongoing blither.Blog: I have an abiding fascination with the Lepidoptera.Twitter: ooh, butterfly!And nobody with any sense, from the very inception of Twitter, has ever pretended anything else. Blaming Twitter for that is like blaming suburban tea-parties for air-headed socialites.I like my blog better than I like my Twitter feed. The blog's where I actually say stuff. But Twitter provides an outlet for all those one-liners, observations and trouvailles, which are too ephemeral and contextual to be worth recording for any length of time, but which I'd like to toss out for the world to share the fun. Twitter's the place to find out who else likes puppies, who else thinks Mubarak sounds like a byre, and who's interested in coffee at Mongle's.We should be grateful to have a place for that stuff so it doesn't have to go in LiveJournal.—A few people have blitzed Twitter for being a vapid, attention-deficient attention-getting market. I think we've covered the vapidity and ADHD. As regards attention, though: doesn't the same go for LiveJournal? Blogging is a public game, vindicated and fulfilled by the attention and responses it gets. I've kept private diaries in my time (though I later published them on LJ), but, let's face it, if I all I wanted was a diary then I'd still be using paper and pen.

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Moral collapse	[Jan. 12th, 2011\|07:28 pm]Footpad
[Tags\|twitter] [Current Mood	wry]I swore I'd never do it, but I have at last succumbed.I am @footpadwolf on Twitter.
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