This week on Twitter I noticed the usual people tweeting the “rules”, the usual complaints about “spammers” and the regular complaints about auto-DMs. I also noticed a LOT of talk about unfollowing. (My response to all of that? Surely there’s more important things available from the whole wide world at our fingertips than *that*)
I watched discussions in the stream and through blog comments that talked about relationships, feeling used, anger over being unfollowed, and hate towards people regarding their choice of how they use a social platform.
I started wondering if the web has afforded us a false sense of confidence. I wonder if this confidence leads to a certain bravado that influences the way we behave towards others because we don’t actually have to physically face them. For example, if someone chose not to have a conversation with you at a large gathering would you grab a podium and announce to the crowd you disapproved?
We all have aspirations, goals, and intentions that guide our behaviour; a core belief system that influences our every action. Sometimes we live our life according to that “moral code” and sometimes we ignore it.
I choose to live my life online the same way I do offline. I aspire to live in a state of grace. I work at that daily. Just sayin’.
U2 Lyrics – Grace
Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name
Grace
It’s a name for a girl
It’s also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything
Grace, she’s got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She’s got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything
Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
Grace makes beauty out of ugly things
from Kathryn Jennex aka northernchick
Amen! It is too easy to sit in front of the lap-top and become something you are not — and that attitude has created a world of “celebrities in their own mind” individuals that are living seperate lives.
I’m with you. I live online as I do offline.
Toby – Good Morning. Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate you saying that, helps to know others are trying, and succeeding as well.
Much of the “noise” reminds me of sitting in the outfield bleachers of a baseball game when the crowd gets more interesting in heckling the players warming up in the bull pen than watching the actual game…
Richard – oh I know! There is lots to be learned from it, for sure, in terms of understanding people.
I agree that some opinions are best left to yourself. Restraint can be a great thing.
Thank goodness for your post! I have noticed over the past several months that the people who advise the most about following the conversation and engaging have been the ones “preaching” about the evils brought to bear on the social media space and its tools by auto DMers, affiliate marketers and the rest. While I’m no fan of the latter, the former seem just as far from that daily “state of grace”.
yep, I agree. treat others the way you want to be treated… it applies online as well as offline.
Gregg – I hear that. Thanks for stopping by.
Todd – Thanks Todd.
That’s a great philosophy. I can’t imagine someone running to a podium every time they had a conversation they didn’t agree with- the line would be miles long!
While the social networks are great, the freedom they provide is also limiting. You can use them as you wish, but you also have to relate to them as others wish.
That’s a lovely read. Thank you. I’m not into noise or hatred, or yelling at people for not making me the center of their life. I know I’ve been “unfollowed.” It’s okay…
Beautiful lyrics too. They bring me peace as the sun slants low, and a distant dove mourns, and a soft breeze draws across my table.
A state of grace… thank you.
MLDina – no kidding, and how tiring *that* would be. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Barb – They are beautiful lyrics aren’t they? Thank you for the compliment – I really appreciate it 🙂
and you do live that way.
as much as I have gotten to know you anyway.
I laughed out loud recently at a tweet where someone asked if when you met someone in real life the first thing you did was run up to them and shout all about what you sell (totally made me giggle).
I made a choice at the start not to check my number of followers (lordy I dont love that word :)) or get alerted when people unfollow.
I love having no clue.
Very interesting as I wrote today in the same vein on my blog:~)
I want to repeat…”Opinions are not weapons!”
Thank you for writing this as yet another testament to the state of social media lately…it’s not so social.
Great post. And I love, love, love that song.
Have you seen the YouTube rendition of it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGBNa0L41Zc
“I aspire to live in a state of grace”, definitely a message that if the world took to heart would make a difference.
Thanks for the uplifting words and here’s to hoping we try every day to live up to the challenge and live in a state of grace !
Kathryn,
Your observation is totally on point and wonderfully written. Sometimes I think we talk just to hear ourselves speak.
Kathryn,
I’m lovin’ your philosophy…bringing the Golden Rule to the Twitterworld and beyond.