Law Technology

Dare I Criticize Twittering? I Love It - THAT?s the Problem?

By Ross

I’ve given Twitter a pretty fair shot, following all sorts of feeds, Twittering some days a dozen or more times. First, let me be clear, Twittering is both really fun and really addictive. If, like me, you were born without any sense of impulse control, are a way out there Type A mega-multitasker, you can easily be sucked into Twitter’s so alluring vortex.

You could Tweet all day long.

Every single day.

Forever.

And not have to deal with the inherent messiness and all the issues that go along with live human contact. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until we see:

• Twittermania catalogued in the DSM IV Physician’s Desk Reference as a clinically diagnosable syndrome.
• Notwitterphobia - the fear of not being able to Twitter and being otherwise unable to communicate.
• Twaccidents - auto, bike, scooter, cycle, stroller, pedestrian wrecks caused by former Blackberridiots who are now Twidiots, Twittering whilst mobile

So should people stop Twittering? Obviously not - most Twitterers are likely able to control themselves. Should impulsive, obsessive Type A types be consciously aware of descendinginto a Twitterift in the space-time continuum, possibly never to return again in this plane of existence (a digital black hole)? Yep, probably so.

For the life of me, a few folks I follow (no names - just initials: KO, GK, EH) literally seem to Tweet 24×7. Do their spouses or children even recognize them anymore? Do they have human conversations and manage to speak to liveware in more than 140 Tweetbytes? I wonder.

Twitter is the new haiku. It’s Twaiku.
Get out Twitterers, breath some fresh air, now that Spring is nearly upon us in the Northern Hemisphere. Go to a local Bar meeting and talk with actual humans. Attend a Rotary or Kiwanis  meeting or whatever kind of meeting with fellow humans trips your trigger. Force yourself to  shake hands, look people in the eye, smile without imagining an emoticon. It’s GOOD for you. Find balance between your live and online personas (even if you like the latter better).

Todd Jordan’s Broad Brush blog lists 10 signs of Twitter addiction:

1. All of your friends? names start with @
2. You know what a tweet is and don?t snicker
3. You tweeted while your wife gave birth
4. You tweeted while giving birth
5. Your kids have to tweet you to get you to make dinner
6. Your mom joined Twitter to chat with you
7. All you want for Christmas is unlimited SMS use on your cell phone
8. Your sign your work email, @wonky
9. You don?t read emails that aren?t highlighted replies to you
10. You name your newborn @babygirl1

So before you earn enough stripes to merit a Prozac prescription, please Tweet responsibly. After all, friends don’t let friends Tweet 24×7.

Full post as published by Ross Ipsa Loquitur on March 16, 2009 (boomark / email).