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9 tweets,
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1. On Academic Twitter (No Different From Twitter in General)
I am truly touched by Matthew's sincere concern (his whole thread is worth reading to get the full extent of his concern), but I have a different perspective, which may be jarring to some, but a relief too, I hope.
I am truly touched by Matthew's sincere concern (his whole thread is worth reading to get the full extent of his concern), but I have a different perspective, which may be jarring to some, but a relief too, I hope.
2. Matthew is making the erroneous assumption that people engaged in serious academic professions are serious people. They are not. They have never been, nor will they ever be, any more than people in general.
3. Social media is fundamentally an emotional medium. And emotionally, there isn't a dime's worth of difference between 'serious' academics and general population. A case could be made that academics, on average, may even be more stunted emotionally than the general population.
4. I don't mean to slight academics at all. People get good at what they spend most of their time on. Accomplished academics spend most of their time on excruciatingly logical stuff. Good for them, and good for society. Emotional development often takes a back seat for them.
5. I am not judging it as good or bad, just acknowledging it for what it is. Social media interactions rarely are intensely rational and reasonable dialogues. You are lucky to occasionally come across one, and it is a special joy when that happens.
6. More often than not, social media outbursts are a venting mechanism. And as such, by and large, they can have a salubrious effect. We must find ways to ensure things don't get out of control, just as we do on the town street, but facile catharsis is not without merit.
7. We need to recognize social media for what it is and what it is not. It is a place where all kinds of people, from all walks of life, pick up a microphone and yell at each other, preen, vent, show off, strike a pose, playact, virtue signal gratuitously, and then move on.
8. What purpose does social media serve in the larger scheme of things -- good, bad, or ugly -- it is still too early to tell. A lot of frustration ensues from a sense of regret that social media is not what one expected it to be or it ought to be. Welcome to life, in general.
9. A little patience, a little detachment, and bemusement might be a much better stance, for one's own sake and for those of others, than a feeling of unjustifiable regret, loss and angst. Still early days. Participate with joy and playfulness, not a sense of mission.
The End.
The End.
