To Tweet or Not to Tweet

The Twitterverse is a world where you can say anything you want, as long as it’s 140 characters or less.  The question then becomes what should you share.  Just as some people tend to speak without thinking; those connected to the social media universe tend to update their statuses without contemplating what they are forever putting out there.  You may be able to apologize for it and even delete it in some networks, but the impression has already been made, people’s senses of propriety offended, and feelings possibly hurt.

Now, I know some people don’t care about the impression that they leave with people.  Some even prefer shocking those that follow them for their own enjoyment.  It gives them that sense of “bad ass” that they never truly earned.  Sometimes, however, it also makes them look like an idiot.

I know it’s just the internet.  It’s just Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest or MySpace or any of the other hundred social networks that keep begging me to join their growing morass of users.  It’s fun and simple and a great way to just be silly.  I like letting my hair down, too; that is, where I have hair.  It’s pretty much falling down and out on its own.  Sometimes on those social networks people tend to let their hair down too much.  The kids all panicked when their grandparents jumped online.  “Do we have to behave?  Do we have to watch what we say?”

“Do you mean do you have to stop acting like an idiot?  Nah.  They already know you’re an idiot.”

First off, be who you are no matter who can see.  You have to be true to yourself before you can be true to anyone else.  However, make sure it’s a self you truly want to be.  Do you want to be seen as an adult or like someone who is stuck in high school?  Comments such as “Betty Lou better keep her upturned nose out of my life and stop being such a busybody know-it-all” are really best left in irate emails and not on your newsfeed.  It makes you seem worse than Betty Lou, especially since the rest of us knew a long time ago not to accept her friendship and can’t see her comments to you or about you. 

Of course, this type of status update gets quite a bit of comments, each as adolescent as the original.  “Why girl, you know that bitch ain’t got nothing better to do than sniff into your business.  And she got the nose to do it, too.  Big ol’ honking thing always messin’ with people’s lives.  It’s because she hates to see happy people since she’s such a miserable ol’ bitty herself.”

And then the support group wagons circle.  “Don’t let her get you down, girl.  Some people just have to be beetches.”

“Don’t give her the time of day.  She done it to me once and I just deleted her fat ass.  She tried to friend me again and I said, “Oh no you didn’t just try to be my friend again you sneaky ass bitch.”

It’s because of dialogue like the above that some people should have limited internet access.

Poor parenting seems to be another thing that people are proud of over social media.  I’ve watched some people share the unruly, obnoxious behavior of their children and seem to be proud that they’ve been disrespected in their own home by their own kids.  These parents think it’s funny that their twelve-year old just told them to kiss off and have to share it with the world.  Or that their offspring made a rude comment to someone who was doing something they didn’t like in a public place, such as smoking.  It’s bad enough that kids are not taught manners, but to brag and laugh about their juvenile delinquency is a loud cry for foster parenting.

Then there are those destined to be miserable.  They love to wallow in their fate of misfortune and make sure you know just how bad their life sucks.  “Why be positive when negativity is so much easier” is their life motto and they fill their newsfeed with tweets and status updates about how life is unfair.  They are the poster child for doom and despair.

My advice to these people - knock that crap off!  No one wants to hang around someone who is negative all the time because it saps their energy.  You have never seen a bouncy negative person.  Force yourself to find something positive to post when you’d rather be negative and soon you might even start believing what you are saying.  I know it’s harder work for some more than others to turn the dark clouds around and social media seems to be the new psychiatrist’s couch, but really, give it a rest.  No one person’s life is all that bad; they just choose to see it that way.

Just as you should never text an ex-lover while you are drunk, you should not tweet while down in the dumps.  I’m not saying you should never post anything that bothers you or admit to having a bad day, but look at what you post overall.  What does it say about you?  Is that how you want to be perceived?  Impressions are important and people who generally spout “They either take me as I am or they don’t have to take me at all” use it as an excuse to be a jackass.  They are also quite often left alone, by the way.  If they aren’t, then they are surrounded by those who feed on that behavior and soon the lot is stuck in a black hole of misery with no way out.

If you want more interaction on your social media sites, then think before you tweet.  Aim those 140 characters at gaining a positive audience and soon you’ll be surrounded by supportive people who really want to hear what you have to say.

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