where it happens-week 7,post 1

What a brutal few weeks it’s been on social media lately.   Because it was all great to sign up for Twitter at the beginning of this class and to really try it out, unlike my last few forays into it.   It was great to see the positive aspects of the platform, using it to connect with the class and think about how to use it and other tools for education.

But of course I also explored twitter for my own interests.  I followed entertainment writers, musicians, connected with personal acquaintances.  And because of the times we are living in, I also followed a few political twitters.

It was all well and good at first.   Very much unlike Facebook or Instagram, it became quickly evident that the real conversations in our society/culture were occurring on Twitter.   That is a scary thought, but I can’t help feel it’s true.   Sure, there are news reports and press conferences and such, but in the weeks I’ve been on twitter I’ve seen in real time, no filter, people with status and power operating on the platform to communicate, argue, affect the direction of discourse, nationally or just within their fields.  It was occurring in all aspects, all spheres that I was following- all those different hobbies, instructionald design, education, our class, politics- it was reall, it was happening, right there on Twitter. 

It’s crazy, it’s awesome, it’s inspiring, it’s terrifying.   Because right below these interactions I see all the people retweeting and liking and mentioning.   I see all the good comments and horrible comments. 

It matters- you cant’ say it doesn’t.   Because before, to be aware, I’d read the news online and how often did I see Twitter exchanges being referred to?  And now I’m on Twitter and seeing it occur first hand.  But now I’m also seeing how Twitter is affecting news stories that dont’ even directly reference the exchanges.   But a controversy or moment or movement can catch fire on twitter, and then you see its effects outside of the social media platform.

I don’t know why we sometimes keep thinking about life in terms of real life and social media.   Because everyone isn’t on social media, or different social media?   It doesn’t matter, it’s here, and it is part, a big part, of what’s going on in the world.

And so that initial thrill of seeing this stuff as it happens began to wear, become exhausting, especially with the horrible, outrageous, dispirting direction the discourse has gone in the past few weeks.   I can be very sensitive to the thoughts of human suffering, especially children; the past few weeks have been emotionally exhausting and frustrating. 

So what to do?  Take a break, sure, but when I come back?   Or should I sign off entirely?   But that seems like putting my head in the sand.   I feel now more than ever we have to be aware and know what’s going on.   The truth is we should’ve always been doing this, and it’s only so critical now because all those years of oblivious ignorance to world events that it is finally fomenting such that it’s impossible to continue as we have.

There’s certainly the idea that if I didn’t read this stuff I wouldn’t be upset, I could carry on my life completely oblivious.   But that’s the thing, this stuff has always been occurring, and it will continue to even if I sign off. 

Of course it’s not enough to just be on social media, to just like stuff and retweet/blog/share it.  I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten outraged over something and was about to post it on my FB, only to delete it because what’s the point?   It feels so much of this can devolve into echo chambers.

So that’s where I’m at.  Just trying to figure this all out.  Whether I sign off entirely after this course or not, a detox sounds great.