Twitter is honestly one of my favorite social networking sites. It’s so easy to go on and get lost in other people’s hilarious thoughts and problems, catch up on the news, and find all sorts of goofy things. It’s hard to know what’s going on without a twitter account because it has become a vital tactic for politicians, celebrities, and social activists to surprise the world around them, but with all that being said, my life’s better without it.
With all of twitter’s upsides, it has a ton of downsides as well as Twitter fights, misconstrued meanings, and under-regulated posts that ultimately detract from someone’s twitter message. Furthermore, it’s so easy to come across nastiness that can be tweeted by seemingly normal accounts. There are a lot of pitfalls, and for those who are trying to make Twitter an uplifting or funny experience, the aforementioned reasons detract from Twitter’s quirky community of thoughts and experiences.
Recently, a friend of mine was telling me about deleting her Twitter app and how she felt so free after doing so because she no longer had the constant influx of sarcasm and complaints. This allowed her to focus on being more genuine and intentional. I decided to try it for a week, and the app has been off of my phone for two months now. I honestly don’t miss it.
I initially thought that it would be hard to stay off the app – especially considering that most breaking news comes through twitter now – but I haven’t felt left behind. Missing all of the drama and junk that can flood my feed has, like my friend said, been freeing because it has allowed me to focus on other things. Moreover, I didn’t realize the detrimental impact Twitter was having on what I said and how I perceived those around me until I deleted the app. It’s exhausting. People can hide behind their words on Twitter leading to a really sarcastic and unforgiving community. Since deleting the app, that tone is no longer in the way making it easier for me to think positively.
I also didn’t realize how much I was “thinking how I tweeted” until it wasn’t a thing I had to do anymore. That’s not to say that I no longer think of things that would be hilarious to tweet, but I don’t really think with that intention anymore. People often relate to those with the same grievances as them, and “Twitter thinking” focuses on putting things in a negative light because that’s what is most relatable. This leads to sarcastic and often self-deprecating tweets that aren’t doing any good for the people reading them except to provide a relatable highlight of what is wrong with people or humanity as a whole.
Although I deleted the app from my phone, I still love Twitter and check it occasionally. Sometimes I need the distraction that only “gorl” memes can provide. With that being said, my life is a lot more positive without the constant influx of my Twitter feed.
Life’s too short to be constantly worried about being up-to-date with Twitter or sending out tweets. There is so much more value in spending time with friends or outside with a book rather than staring at my phone constantly scrolling through something that ultimately doesn’t matter.
