Someone blocked me on Twitter today.
Let's have a conversation about free speech.
Twitter is a strange, yet wonderful place. It is aptly named, giving the impression of many birds singing all at the same time. According to the dictionary, twittering means ‘bird call of repeated light tremulous sounds’. In the Northern Hemisphere Spring is in full swing and the birds are up at the crack of dawn, twittering away, looking for mates. How selfish of them to wake me so early! No, I actually do quite like it. Interestingly enough, when applied to humans, the word twittering means: talking rapidly at length in a trivial way. Apt name for a social platform indeed.
I was blocked by someone on Twitter today because they weren’t open to having a conversation. I’m not worried about it, in fact I thought it was funny and a good reflection of how ridiculous the world has become. She/he who shouts the loudest gets heard, even if what they are spouting is garbage. At least birdsong has some beauty and grace to it.
I’ve made many friends on Twitter, some of whom I’ve met in real life. I’ve had many discussions there too, received and offered support, and I’ve even enjoyed partaking in Twitter hashtag parties.
Twitter becomes dangerous, however, when many people get together and tweet nasty hurtful comments to deliberately attack someone. This is happening more and more frequently these days. Many people on that platform are most definitely not open to having a conversation, they’re just there to cause trouble. Some people call these types of people, trolls. These people focus on taking other people down, whomever they may be, just for fun, just because they can.
Caroline Myss, in her work ‘The Courage to Confront Evil’ surmises that groups have more power than the individual, especially when it comes to evil. I agree with her. I hasten to add, in real life you can see when a gang of people are coming for you, and at least then you get an opportunity to run and hide, but online it’s a different story. Like-minded people gather together on Twitter. But you don’t need to find a group of like-minded people to create an online gang. All it takes is several false twitter profiles to amplify your tweeting power. If you and your gang can get a loud enough voice, it’s inevitable more people will show up and join you. Then you can do some real damage.
Twitter is where cancel culture began, as far as I’m aware. Forget about living in harmony and accepting each other’s differences, no, let’s attack the other and get them off the platform instead. It’s much easier to shut down the conversation than to make the effort to understand the other person and possibly have to admit to being wrong, or change your mind. This behaviour has been going on for years. Do let me know if I’m wrong, but I’ve been on Twitter a long time and it’s just my observation.
Whether cancel culture actually started on Twitter or not, what I do know for sure, is that the fear of being shut down or attacked on social media has stopped many good people from speaking out. I admit that it has stopped me, too, until relatively recently. (And obviously it didn’t stop me this morning!)
What about you? Do you feel shut down by the current social media landscape? I want to know - let’s talk about it in the comments. What I found personally was that if I couldn’t say anything on social media, or to friends and family, I didn’t even afford myself a space to think about whatever it was that was upsetting me. I shut myself down. Because what’s the point in having an opinion or wanting to learn more about something if you cannot have a discussion about it? This really is not a good thing.
So even more importantly I want to ask you -
Do you give yourself a space to think about the things you feel you cannot talk about?
Have you made time to discover what is important to you?
Do you offer yourself the opportunity to make up your mind on certain topics or issues, or do you find you shut yourself down?
Can you give yourself the benefit of the doubt? Or even give yourself the space to change your mind?
Please feel free to chat about it here. That’s the point isn’t it? To talk, to discuss, to learn from each other. If we can’t do that, then where is our hope for the future?
I’ve totally experienced this online and it just made me stop engaging. When you’re being respectful and just ask a question or want to discuss an opinion openly. I got called insane, was personally attacked - all for stating an opinion that those people held a different view of (and not even a contentious or controversial one!) I closed down one lot of media but ended up setting up an anonymous one with notifications turned off! It’s the only way I feel I can share anything and not be abused for it. I definitely don’t have anyone to share things with in person anymore. The last 2 years have just served to form harder dividing lines I think, with anyone taking a ‘side’ each telling their opposites that they’re stupid, ignorant, selfish and crazy. Those of us on the outside of both groups… well, I don’t really know where we fit. I certainly appreciate quiet time with my bunnies (where I just get to be) much more than I used to! I can’t deal with the human race right now. How did we end up here?
I remember reading a book by Jon Ronson some time back, for the moment the title eludes me, he was making a similar point . He was talking about people on Google searches and similar. So I think it has been going on for some time.( I'l find the book tomorrow and be more specific) Do you remember when we had road rage in the news a lot? And supposedly people felt more able to be aggressive because they were safe in their cars and could drive away? I think this is an extension of this. People are frustrated so they act in ways they would not in person, and can be heroes of the moment, if they are in a little group. They are cowards, nothing more. And more often than not, they actually do not have an argument to put forward, so spout vitriol instead. Seems to me, most of the people blocked or de-platformed are the ones with something useful to say . Hence the action to block. It reminds me of being a child- you know, when you stick your fingers in your ears and sing lalala. Sadly, too many people are not adults when it comes to having serious conversations. We can't grow without listening to others' opinions, even if they are opposed to ours.Sometimes just listening reminds us of why we are so sure of our version. And ought we to stop twittering? Most definitely not. There will be a bird somewhere, singing the same song, and so glad to know he/she is not alone.