A Sunsetting (Of Sorts)
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Twitter for the better part of 5 years. While the majority of that time has been enjoyable, I feel our time together has inevitably run its course.
In its infancy, I found the platform to be an intriguing and playful method of communication. It was new and different and disruptive. As a professional communicator working at the dawn of the social revolution, I saw barriers broken and boundaries pushed. The potential was truly great; I had Twitter dreams at night.
Like most good things in this world, though, marketers eventually took hold. Our pure playground now had a fresh layer of superficial grime. But even amidst marketing’s dirty grip the promise of the platform remained strong. Dictators fell, people occupied things and Twitter provided the plumbing for progress. The personal charm was gone, but I was able to look past that to the Gestalt of the situation.
But then came the onslaught of memes and half-assed comedians and rooftop shouting and television properties pushing hashtags.
While partially guilty of all of the above, I think I’ve had enough.
I used to get so much value from my participation on Twitter. I met great friends and discovered brilliant people through my use of the platform. For the past several months however, I think the above-stated detriments are outweighing the positives and I’ve regularly found myself avoiding my timeline.
And when it comes to posting, I don’t even know what to say on Twitter anymore. What used to be second nature and automatic has become second-guessed and contrived. In contrast, I feel like my words have found their place here on the Static Made site. Immediacy and brevity have their benefits, but I’m not that interested anymore. I’ve come to enjoy taking my time and thoughtfully preparing the ideas I want to share.
Maybe I’ve changed. Maybe the platform has changed. Most likely both. We’re just not compatible anymore.
Moving forward, the Static Made Twitter account will auto-serve syndicated posts from the site. The stream’s primary purpose will be as an alternative subscription option, akin to RSS and the Weekly Email Dispatch, for readers interested in hearing what I have to say. From today on, I don’t plan to actively monitor the timeline or personally reply to messages.
To those who have followed, messaged and retweeted over the years: Thank You. Let’s grab coffee or chat on the phone or perhaps communicate privately via email. Our relationships deserve more than 140 character bursts.
So, I guess this is a sunsetting of sorts. While it makes me a bit sad, it’s a goodbye I’m comfortable with. It’s a goodbye that needs to be said in order for me to grow artistically and keep making work of which I’m proud. I haven’t come to this decision lightly; it’s been months in the making. I hope you understand and that you’ll continue to thoughtfully consider the ideas published here.
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