Thread by @GeniesLoki

A psychological theory of social media.

Premise 1: People are inherently plural, each variant adapted to a particular context. Different parts of yourself are expressed and suppressed in different contexts. You are literally different people at work, with friends, with family

Premise 2: Computers hate that, and the nature of social media in particular is that of creating a single consistent identity. A terrifying Zuckerbergian ideal that you have a single consistent and whole "true self" that is equivalent to your public persona.

Premise 3: This is then exacerbated by audience. A public figure is cocreated by their audience and their expectations - they learn what creates good responses, and what creates bad ones. The audience learns how they will behave, and stabilises them in that role.

THEREFORE, a twitter account is necessarily a relatively stable context in which for you to be. It may take a while to grow into it, but over time you wear a groove. You create the Twitter account, and you become the Twitter account whether you like it or not.

This is not intrinsically harmful, but particularly in 2020 or for anyone who is otherwise socially isolated, Twitter ends up fairly socially and psychologically load-bearing. It becomes a major mode of expression where the things you express there can flourish disproportionately

But this creates a stuck state. You lose your natural fluidity. People were not meant to be consistent - it stifles parts of yourself that need expressing because you only express the bits your audience wants. The rest goes into your shadow, where it festers.

As a result, tweeting without an alt is a form of psychological self-harm, and I cannot encourage it.