Why Twitter Is Not for Me
There’s more to life than being glued to Twitter
--
If you spend any amount of time on Twitter, you’ll see a lot of people saying Twitter isn’t real life. And it’s an important reminder because the loudest voices make it seem like popular opinion is blowing one way when that isn’t really the case.
There’s plenty to enjoy about social media. It can be a useful tool. Unfortunately, the companies who run social media empires aren’t interested in building a wholesome platform for you to meet up with friends or launch your career. What they are building is a platform designed to gather as much information about you as possible so they can sell you products. And they will sell your information to other platforms and companies who want to sell you products. And that’s just the less than nefarious intention.
A lot of people dislike social media intensely, but they still maintain their accounts, whether it’s Twitter or Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram. They have a fear of missing out. Your finger hovers above the delete account button, and then you think but my overseas family and friends, but I need to keep up with my sports team or the news. It can feel as though you need social media, but honestly? Twitter isn’t for me. And before I go into depth telling you why, I want to tell you how my life has improved without social media.
I’m Present
I don’t take a picture of my meal and upload it to Twitter. I don’t snap a dozen photos of time with friends so I can post them on my timeline. When I’m spending time with the people I love, I’m completely focused on enjoying those moments. And when I don’t have social media to keep up with everyone, it forces me to reach out to those friends more often.
I’m more engaged in my relationships because I don’t have the social media crutch to throw a like their way and scroll on by. I want to pick up the phone and hear your voice on the other end. I want to meet you in a cafe or a bar and look you in the eye while we talk about our lives. And hey, I’d even rather exchange a series of texts as though we were sitting next to each other having a conversation.
Ditching Twitter also makes me more aware of what’s going on around me. I engage more with others, I engage more…
