It's Just Twitter...

If you’ve been on Twitter for long enough and are anywhere near as active on it as I am, you’ve probably read this phrase in a Tweet before.  It’s Twitter’s equivalent to “get a life”.  Apparently, there are tweeps out there who are taking things waaaaaay too seriously in the twitterverse. 

This phrase is usually used when someone gets offended or gets “in their feelings” about something that was said over twitter.  The idea is that, anything said or done on Twitter, or on any social media site, should only be taken so seriously.  For the most part, I agree.  Heck, considering the fact that none of us make it out of this thing alive anyway, life itself shouldn’t be taken that seriously.  Ok, all half-joking aside, most people will agree that if you get your boxers all in a bunch over something on Twitter, you have more issues than a magazine stand.  It ain’t that serious.  You need to get a life… One other than Twitter, that is. 

Ever-so-slightly off subject is the fact that there are some people who read the tweets of those they follow and assume that they know all there is to know about said person.  This train of thought is just as flawed as it is in real life.  (This is assuming, of course, that Twitter is not real life, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.)  You may see your co-workers 5 times or more a week and know how they behave at work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you know them.  I see my salsa friends a few times a week, but if I only see their persona on the dance floor and barely shoot the breeze with them between songs, I don’t really know them.  Just like you only see one aspect of a person’s life in the context of the environment that you normally see them, you only see one aspect of a person’s life on social media.  Don’t think that you have anyone “all figured out” just because you follow them on Twitter.

Again, while I do agree with all of the above, there is a counter argument to this.  I can feel the Devil’s Advocate in me itching to break out even as I type this.  The idea that it’s “just Twitter” only goes so far.  Anyone who follows my blog or knows me outside of the digital world knows how much I loathe overused and misused words or phrases.  Guess what?  “It’s just Twitter” is one of them.  Far too often, I’ve seen this phrase used as an excuse to fall back on when someone tweets something that someone else found offensive.  “It’s just Twitter”, they’ll say.  It’s become a license to tweet with reckless abandon, not giving a flying flock of birds who gets offended because, at the end of the day, “it’s just Twitter.”  I couldn’t disagree with this mindset more.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying anyone should walk on eggshells and be overly concerned with the thoughts and feelings of others, but I can’t condone the opposite, either.  Many tweeps, especially those on “Team F*** Yo’ Feelings”, would probably argue with me all day on that, being quick to say things like “It’s my twitter, I’ll tweet what I want” or “If you don’t like what I tweet, unfollow.”  Yes, it is your Twitter with which to tweet whatever you like, and those who don’t like it should learn how to use the unfollow button.  However, try saying “it’s just Twitter” when you mess around and get fired from your job or fail to get employed at a prospective job over something you’ve tweeted.  If it’s “just Twitter”, why are Twitter timelines considered legitimate enough to be entered as evidence in court cases?  Good luck convincing your employer, the Feds, or your significant other who caught you “harmlessly flirting” that Twitter isn’t “real life.”

I’ve also seen in quite a few Twitter bios and tweets the phrase “don’t judge me by my Tweets.”  I have to fight with all my being to keep from scoffing at such a statement.  I could understand if Kobe Bryant said to the media “Don’t judge me by my performance last night.  I had an off night, I’m better than that.”  I could understand if I meet a random person who treats me disrespectfully, then says to me the next day, “I'm sorry, I was just having a bad day that day.  I’m normally not like that.  Please don’t judge me based on that.”  Situations like that are circumstantial.  The person in question may not have had control over the situation and may just be out of character at the moment.  But for someone to say “don’t judge me by tweets” when that person deliberately and purposely tweets what they tweet?  Get outta here with that.  We all have our bad days, Twitter or not.  We may go on an uncharacteristic rant or say something out of line every once in a while, but what you consistently tweet is you, just like what you consistently say and do in "real life" is you.

No, I can’t claim to know the whole you, the real you, based on your tweets, but unless someone is hacking into your Twitter account or is holding a gun to your head and making you tweet something you don’t want to, what you tweet comes from you.  Therefore, while you may not be projecting your entire life or personality onto Twitter, what you Tweet is the real you, albeit only a portion of you.  It may be the extra goofy side of you, the unadulterated and unfiltered side of you, or the “I don’t put any of my personal business online” side of you, but it is some side of you.  If what you are willingly tweeting (you’re typing it, seeing your words on your screen, and hitting the send button yourself) isn’t actually you, then why are you putting a fake you on Twitter?  I guess we can’t count you among those who are keeping it “100”, can we?

At the end of the day, yes, we should keep things on social media light-hearted, taking things with a grain (or more) of salt.  No matter how much information a person puts on their profile or in their tweets, you don’t know that person inside and out.  However, we also have to remember that just because all of this is on the world-wide web, that doesn’t make it any less real.  No, social media should not be your life, but it is still a part of real life and should be treated as such.