Read on Twitter
This month I went through all 4000-ish account I follow on Twitter to prune non-actives/non-mutuals. Since these appear in chronological order, it’s like drilling through sedimentary layers of interests, connections, topics, trends...back twelve years.
One thing I noticed is early on, I mostly followed people I knew, or local connections. Or brands that I love. The convos at the time were more collegial (work, nearby events, kids, food pics, announcements, catching up on personal news).
My first seven follows:
My first seven follows:
Twitter shifted from light water cooler banter and over-the-fence neighbor—to an agora, soapbox, news, Mars Hill (Greek Areopagus) public discourse space.
As a person who enjoys coffee with friends & public debate, I’m not saying this is good, or bad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus
As a person who enjoys coffee with friends & public debate, I’m not saying this is good, or bad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus
Making myself aware of who follows me/who I follow does two things for me:
1) Reminds me this glass rectangle finger keyboard thing communicates to real human beings
2) Humbles me. Terrifies me. Forces me to think more carefully about what I say and share. (Responsibility.)
1) Reminds me this glass rectangle finger keyboard thing communicates to real human beings
2) Humbles me. Terrifies me. Forces me to think more carefully about what I say and share. (Responsibility.)
At the end of January, I go back and read ALL MY TWEETS from the beginning. The puns. The esoteric threads. Bible verses. Rants and rage. Data. Predictions. Trolling. Prayers. Photos. Travelogues. Science. Math errors. Wrong assumptions.
You can, too: https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-download-your-twitter-archive
You can, too: https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-download-your-twitter-archive
This serves a valuable purpose. I try to gain self-awareness of how I am behaving. Like everyone else, I am both good-hearted, and I fail. So review is valuable for improvement.
And, in any case—it is a joy to do the archeology of Self. Twelve years is 1/6th of a lifetime.
And, in any case—it is a joy to do the archeology of Self. Twelve years is 1/6th of a lifetime.
BTW—I don’t generally unfollow people ever, because I spend time reading feeds before I follow.
Rare exceptions: Abusively trolling others. Posting race genetics fixation content or other despicable material. Transgressing healthy interpersonal boundaries. Dissing PADDINGTON 2.
Rare exceptions: Abusively trolling others. Posting race genetics fixation content or other despicable material. Transgressing healthy interpersonal boundaries. Dissing PADDINGTON 2.
Thank you for the convos, debates, banter, harsh critique (notice I didn’t unfollow you?), virtual cookies over the Time-Space fence, memes, wisdom. I learn from you! And lived through so much these last twelve years—in this noisy, rare, so very human, virtual meeting place.
