Remember when Twitter first became cool? It was originally launched in 2006, but it became an international sensation around 2010. If you didn't tweet, who even were you?
I created my Twitter account in 2011, near the end of my sophomore year in high school. I had a clever handle and a measly fifteen followers for the first month. Before long, I was addicted to the sphere of microblogging, convincing all my friends they had to tweet, too.
There was something enticing about a space where I could vent my stream of consciousness, seemingly free of judgment. It's so instant, so casual. A tweet here, a tweet there. Five tweets in one day — so what? But five statuses in one week on Facebook, well, that's just over board.
You see, the etiquette on Twitter is completely different than any other form of social media I had encountered. I soon realized that Twitter was a haven for my inner thoughts, my comedic remarks, and my complaints that I thought nobody else would care to listen to. A scroll through my tweets served as a glimpse into my brain. Similarly, I found myself getting better glimpses of who the people I followed on Twitter actually were than I had on other social media.
Unfortunately, this raw, open atmosphere was eventually what drove me away from Twitter.
Logging into Twitter meant simultaneously entering into a world of judgment, negativity, and false news. While it was often the place I looked to for comic relief, news events, or updates on friends, I often left feeling empty, discouraged, or simply bored. My Twitter feed turned into a stream of complaining, drama, and jokes that were usually more offensive than they were funny. I started being sucked into these categories as my tweets became more about venting than sharing.
Most of all, the majority of these tweets I found myself mindlessly scrolling through were from people that I did not interact with in-person on a regular basis. Why was I so consumed with an application that took my time away from those I cared about and invested it in the consciences of strangers in front of screens?
Ultimately, I chose to deactivate Twitter because I would much rather share my life and inner-most thoughts face-to-face with true friends than to a massive room of acquaintances.
While Twitter can be a fantastic place to discover news, connect with others, and stalk celebrities, it can also serve as a dangerous trap. In comparison to other types of social media, this particular platform and setup on Twitter invites more criticism, gossip, and mind-numbingly boring observations on life.
Less and less of my friends have been active on Twitter in recent months, due to similar realizations as mine. I exited the Twittersphere with 7,006 tweets and over 400 followers, but zero desire left to engage with others in a microblogging form. I encourage you to step back and reassess how Twitter — and social media in general — is benefitting your life.
Next time you begin to craft a tweet, ask yourself these questions: Is it drawing negative qualities out of you for the world to see? It is serving as valuable use of your time and social energy? In what ways could you use Twitter as a space for positivity and productivity? Re-evaluate your uses of Twitter and decide if this social media platform is helping or hurting you.
