Consequences

Here we go again with a few random, well not that random thoughts from the vaults of my mind this week. I do wonder if I over think things, but perhaps by trying to get them out in a blog I won’t focus on such things so much? Worth a try. This ramble leads on from my last blog on social networking and is on the topic of consequences. Do we think about what we write in the public arena of social networking sites and their consequences? Are there consequences? Are consequences a bad thing?

I’m not saying I sit and think about every single tweet I write, I don’t (especially drunk tweeting), but I do have a bit of a think about my facebook status updates. Well, to the extent that I think about who will read them and the impression of me they give (sometimes this leads to the thought “who cares?”). But in the case of tweeting I don’t think I do as much and should think about what I write sometimes, and that this could apply to others. Tweeting is a social activity; it involves others and therefore their emotions as much as my own. Most of the time it is inane facts about my day, links to things I like and jokes or silly stuff. But I have been pondering if there is another side to twitter, one with consequences.

I guess to explain what I mean I need to consider some examples and the perceived (or not perceived as the case may be) consequences of them. The most serious of these would be the hoax suicidal girl a week or so ago, there was really no way of telling if it was a hoax or not. We all had a few options, retweet the concern about her, ignore the tweet, pretend we didn’t see it or investigate further. These options all had consequences of some kind, to the extent that they had an (probably minor) impact on our emotions and possibly the emotions of others. For some people there was genuine concern about the suicidal girl and her friend’s concerns, to feel empathy for someone evoke an emotional response, it can bring back memories or even cause anxiety. I’m not saying we all had panic attacks about the suicidal girl, but it if was a hoax it was a cruel one. Ignoring the tweet also had consequences, I noticed that some people discussed why they did or did not retweet it, and all for justified reasons (e.g. not wanting to get involved/unsure if it was a hoax/unnecessarily giving a hoaxer publicity), but why should we defend what we do or don’t tweet? Does this suggest that our emotions are more involved with twitter than we like to think? Some people did investigate further and stated that it was a hoax, but again the hoaxer was given publicity in this reaction and I should think that the people who found this out were annoyed or frustrated; there are consequences to such tweets, they evoke an emotional and not necessarily desired reaction. But on the flip side and it was not a hoax the consequences are even more serious, if it was found that the girl did need help and we sat back assuming a hoax and missed such an opportunity, are we all collectively responsible. Personally I think I would feel guilty if I did nothing, and let’s face it; a retweet is hardly doing a lot.

That was a bit doom and gloom! I do believe there can be positive and more fun consequences to what we write on sites such as twitter. It is easy to suggest that celebrities (even z list ones) may use twitter for affirmation. By its nature twitter is basically saying “look at me, look what I did, tell me what you think” (or is it just me?). I don’t blame them at all, and I think it is certainly not limited to those in the limelight, as I said in the last blog I use it for company if I am home alone; what is the point of company if you don’t get interaction from them. In fact am I not doing the same in tweeting this blog? I guess I am, to the extent that I am expressing an opinion and asking others to give me feedback (to be honest I don’t mind negative feedback as I am interested in the psychology of the social interactions). I do think celebrities should publicise themselves on twitter, and even more so people who are not yet famous and have a talent; it is a great way of connecting with their fans. I do wonder if celebrities think of the consequences of their tweets? By this I mean the impact they can have on people’s emotions; they can stimulate discussion and influence opinion, but also a reply can be an exciting thing from a celeb; on some tiny scale we have been listened to by someone we admire. I generally don’t expect a reply from celebrities on twitter, but it can put a smile on my face and a skip in my step to get one. (Yes I am aware it may be a “fan girl” moment, but come on we all have them from time to time).

As I suggested before the emotions attached to replies are not, in my opinion limited to celebrities. Jokes shared between friends can be just what are needed to cheer someone up, and to be ignored when asking for help or support could be disheartening. My concern is the people who take twitter too seriously. I have seen celebrities get frustrated at being asked the same question repeatedly, or being when being criticised. What do they expect it is an open arena with positive feedback there will always be negative (and there are some vile rude people out there who get a kick from offending people). But for us everyday un-famous people the risk is still there; as with any social interaction we can be offended, upset, amused or thrilled, by everyday people. This is a benefit of twitter but also can be a downfall. I think it depends how you use it. If you use it in the light hearted not too serious way as it is (in my opinion) intended then it is fun. But my concern is that some people may invest too much in it, as discussed in my last blog, I don’t think it is the place in which people show their true colours all the time. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as we use it for fun, contacts and escape, but we should remember that there are more vulnerable people out there who look for more from a tweet. I am cautious in responding to people who I may assume (possibly wrongly so) to be more vulnerable; my concern is that I cannot give them what they seek, I can’t give such a level of emotional response on a public forum. If I feel I can be more supportive to some people I have got to know on twitter then I take the conversation elsewhere, privately.

I know all of this may just be me, but I am curious to know if anyone else thinks about these things. Am I over thinking the subject (probably, yes)? But social connections and the psychology surrounding them interest me. I would be interested to know anyone else’s thought. Thanks for reading and well done, I ramble for ages.