Twitter

[crackers]

tweet tweet social media is it good or bad? I want to keep using twitter but the character limit is quite annoying, so not sure if it's a go

[crackers]

od idea. Oh no! it appears that now i can only post 140 characters on the backalleys too! my life is forfeit, oh dear oh dear, there's nothi

[Bamyasi]

I prefer glitter.

[valiums]

The 140 characters thing is bogus when they don't restrict Japanese tweets to, say, 50 characters, and Chinese to 35.

[rtil]

twitter is a powerful tool  that has helped spread awareness of a lot of good things, but like most social media  outlets it's mostly reduced to feeding narcissism

[SHADOWFOX2]

I don't like enough people who are Twitter exclusive so I don't do it

[bd648]

i don't see a reason for it to exist.

[Flash]

When my favorite musician tweets about something casual it makes me feel less alone for a few seconds.

[Sef]

I like funny twitters

[rtil]

When my favorite musician tweets about something casual it makes me feel less alone for a few seconds.

[Bamyasi]

twitter is a powerful tool  that has helped spread awareness of a lot of good things, but like most social media  outlets it's mostly reduced to feeding narcissism

Still trying to figure out how "awareness" alone can solve problems. The ethos of twitter seems to be that if enough people know about an issue, it will go away. This is true from social justice all the way up to climate change.

[rtil]

twitter is a powerful tool  that has helped spread awareness of a lot of good things, but like most social media  outlets it's mostly reduced to feeding narcissism

Still trying to figure out how "awareness" alone can solve problems. The ethos of twitter seems to be that if enough people know about an issue, it will go away. This is true from social justice all the way up to climate change.

it doesn't solve anything, much to the chagrin of slacktivists

but if there is a way to immediately contribute to the cause online via social network like donating money or something then it can be useful. but money can't solve everything

[Bamyasi]

Yeah, but sometimes I wonder if awareness actually does more harm than good. It creates a large network of people who only care about problems in passing, and would be just as willing to let someone else donate money they themselves could be spending on figmas. Plus, when an issue loses it's hipness, these quick to move on to something trendier, leaving a wake of confusion, retweets and paypal donations in their path.

Not to preach, but volunteering locally I think is a much faster route to serious social change. Not only do you actually meet and befriend the people tumblr claims to have vested interest in, but the cause stays with you for that very reason, and because you see how these things relate to you and your city.

Also, that the Twitter founders claim even partial responsibility for vast revolutionary movements like the Arab Spring is disgusting.

[rtil]

yeah but tumblrinas and twitter warriors would are too busy reblogging and retweeting to volunteer locally. they legitimately think they're making an impact by pushing hashtags to the top of an arbitrary list. also it gives them a sense of martyrdom and positive self-image reinforcement. they don't actually care, so why would they ever do something like volunteer at a local shelter or something that actually helps?

[Bamyasi]

I don't doubt that they care, we just live in a culture that values individual identity as much as actually doing things, and treats them as being separate. Here's a four part BBC documentary all about it.

But this one is probably more relevant to Twitter specifically. Plus it's only six minutes.

[crackers]

do you guys watch any BBC programs?