Every time I open a magazine lately it seems like some celebrity or politician is engaged in a Twitter war. Somebody tweets something, another person deems it offensive, and the back-and-forth is relentless. Worse, it’s all made public.
Twitter seems to be one of the worst places to clearly state your opinion and have a healthy debate that doesn’t escalate into an argument. How can you express everything properly when you have just 140 characters? Why make your grievance public, and why overreact when someone tweets something you find objectionable? Tweeting back a rebuttal rarely works. I think it’s better to take the high road, or to contact the person directly and privately to have a proper conversation.
Sometimes I think Twitter and other forms of social media should have a holding period that forces you to wait before the message goes live. After a bit more time and consideration, would you still lash out? I remember when you’d simply write an angry letter. By the time you were done writing, you didn’t feel the need to mail it because you’d gotten those feelings off your chest.
Using social media as a form of communication can be convenient, but it’s not always conducive to a constructive dialogue. If something is truly important, it deserves a conversation.