I love Twitter. It is my gateway to the outside world. It feeds me with daily news, gossips, celebrations and mass outrage.
Twitter connects me to the makers and those who have made it big in their domain. I have learnt a lot through them.
In the pre-internet era, social engagement meant meeting over beer, coffee or dinner. Watching TV with family or night out with friends were the fun activities. Selfies, posting photos and likes had no meaning. Everyone would meet, greet, listen and share. Ironically, we were more connected back then.
Social media has narrowed real and virtual world separation. We meet someone on Twitter and meet over coffee or beer. I have made dozens of great friends. Some of them are very close to me while the others have moved on. My friend tells me how he used Twitter as a hiring platform. Few others share stories about their hookups using Twitter.
At times I ask myself, has twitter made us insecure. We are all aware of our anxiety – fear of missing out. Constant attention seeking urge on social media platforms has stressed us out.
Twitter’s role in spreading fake news and fueling propaganda is well known. Many hate groups and radical organizations use it. All you need is some fake photo/video to spread misinformation among followers. Sometimes fake news pick up like wildfire and have resulted in furious debates. News channels take it to the next level with panel discussions and more noise.
Twitter creates mass hysteria. When a celebrity commits suicide or a cricketer does publicity gimmick, the entire platform goes bonkers. We waste our day taking sides on endless discussions
We have failed at being empathetic to our family, friends, cooks and cleaners. Instead we grieve over the death of someone who had no role to play in our life
I had promised someone of buying a good number of twitter stocks few years back, I don’t see it happening now. I could not reach that milestone but that is a story for some other blog post.
Twitter is amazing, use it with care. Do not get carried away, focus on elements which make you happy and intelligent. Avoid blood pressure spikes and heart conditions by not participating in meaningless conversations. Be more aware.