Tweeting On

 

I liked the bird better

The writer and fellow Mahopac High School graduate Jeff Pearlman quit X/Twitter today.

He said he was on it for 16 years and, while he loved it at one time, he felt it had become "a cesspool of conspiracy theories and hatred."

He's not wrong. But I also don't talk politics out there and, believe it or not, mostly keep myself out of trouble. I tend to ignore attacks (even from burner accounts).

However, I still find a usefulness to it. I find it to be relevant when I want to mine for information on a topic. No, it's not a source, as I tell students, but it's a jumping-off point.

It served me well in that regard over numerous breaking news items since I first joined years ago.

Yes, it's a cesspool. Yes, it's horribly divisive, but so is basically every other form of social media.

Should I point out the number of people who post incessantly about politics and, when someone goes against their opinion, becomes incredibly dismissive and condescending? In fact, I told one person that and they didn't quite like it.

I also told the same person he's obsessed with a certain presidential candidate but he's hardly the only one.

That's where I do get in trouble. I call out B.S. quite frankly.

On the other hand, I was recently told to not look at a certain account online. Yet, my answer to that person, as it has gone to others over the years was simple:

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer*."

*Even when they block you.

But, yeah, I want to know what's going on. I want to know when the little passive-aggressive digs are there.

I want to see what the latest obsessions are.

Yes. Obsessions. Plural.

Let's see: wrestling, unions, New York Mets, wrestling (yes, I know I said it twice), liberal politics, Peanuts (yes, the cartoon), Noah Eagle, drifting, and oh I could go on and on.

Is it unhealthy? Sure it is. All of it.

Yet, at least for me, it just feels necessary.

I've thought about bagging it. But I generally feel it wouldn't be wise, given what I do professionally. For instance, I'll need it for high school football news and scores in a few weeks.

But it's where my often intense reading begins. It's the base of how I know as much as I do these days.

You have no idea of the number of messages I get on a daily basis from well-meaning people about some story that they think they're cueing me in on. In reality, I likely have already seen it, even if it happened years ago.

More likely, especially if happened years ago.

There's a reason my phone and watch buzz with some form of breaking news, even after I've turned off a lot of the notifications I get.

Most people who are around journalism are the same. We see it. We read it. We hear it. We experience it.

But, even through the people that don't like me, I get information to feed me for work or simply just because.

I guess I'm babbling about a big nothing burger here. Jeff Pearlman left Twitter and that's his business.

Jeff left Mahopac years ago. Lived in New Rochelle. Now he's in California. 

So, yeah.

I don't agree with him on some things but I certainly respect him given, you know, hometown and all. Plus he's a hell of a writer.

I'm still on Twitter and currently have no plans to leave.

Nor do I plan to block anyone in the near future.

And I'm on all of the other places of note for one reason or another.

Like I said, I'm babbling.

But I'm also keeping an eye on things.