It's time to enjoy Twitter again

Twitter HQ (Image: focusgn.com)

Next month will mark nine years since I registered as a user of social media giant Twitter. When I signed up to the site in 2009, I found myself engrossed by the complete randomness of it all. What had drawn me over to the page was my desire to totally embrace the daily lives of household names. Please bear in mind, this was during my journalism degree so my media instincts were beginning to be switched on. Anyhow, Twitter was a website which guaranteed the closest access we would ever get to the hottest names. Many, like me, were delighted to see that our favourite pop stars scoff some Corn Flakes, or endorsed a daft dog video. If you were lucky, you'd receive a 'like' or a response from a so-called 'celebrity'. Heck, I was delighted when I got an 'x' from Carol Vorderman that one time.

Twitter, just like their rivals Facebook and Instagram, was designed for the user to escape from the big, bad world outside. And Twitter in particular was used as a platform for household names to enhance their reputations in a completely unfamiliar and modern way - many cherished it then, and the enthusiasm for the site is still here today. In the second quarter of 2018 alone, Twitter averaged out 335 million users per month.

However, overtime, I find my personal enthusiasm for Twitter decrease. While we saw much-loved TV and radio personalities receive the attention so many crave, politicians also wanted a slice of that cake. They foresaw it being a powerful tool to getting their voices heard and engage with their public - regardless of their current location. It's clearly worked. Could you say, with great certainty, that Barack Obama would have defeated Mitt Romney in the 2012 US general election without relying on the influence of social media? Would Jeremy Corbyn's Labour have gained enough votes to ensure the Conservative Party lose their majority the way they did last year, had it not been for Twitter?

The use of social media by politicians and political enthusiasts has the proven, incredible ability to change the world, this is crystal clear. And it is wonderful to see so many people engaged in serious discussions that matter to them the most. However, this does bring unwanted consequences.

There is no denying that Twitter has their work cut out. Even though they're not as big as Facebook, there is an arguably larger portion of users who keep their views public compared to their rival's users. Not only that, Twitter is a platform where people express practically any opinion in just 280 characters, including tweets that are deemed offensive and defamatory. The number of online-related crime has soared in recent years due to the shocking levels of trolling, ruining the fun for so many.

Chico (Image: The Scottish Sun)

Is Twitter fun, though? It used to be. On the 21st March 2006, when the site was founded, political upheaval quietened down after the commotion between 2001 and 2003, number one in the UK charts was "It's Chico Time", most of us were eagerly counting down to the FIFA World Cup in Germany, and I'm sure a small handful of people knew who the UK's Home Secretary was (Charles Clarke, by the way). Meanwhile, I personally was approaching my 15th birthday where my main focus was on thinking 'oh heck, my GCSEs'. Believe it or not, 2006 was a rather innocent time.

Today, I'm thinking 'oh how I wished we could go back to 2006'. The landscape has completely changed, largely thanks to social media, but not for the better. It doesn't need reminding of the two most contentious political matters at the moment - Britain's decision to leave the EU and the Presidency of Donald Trump. Of course, it is natural for many of us to have a strong opinion on at least one of those issues, yet, for many on social media, it has allowed them to define their image. The issue here is that the opinions expressed are dramatic - you're either fully committed to one side of the argument or the other. And damn those who are sitting on the fence.

What I got on my Twitter newsfeed was complete stubbornness. Before today, I followed 924 people and was perfectly happy to hear from other users who come from various walks of life; strangers and friends alike. However, views from a section of these left me considering to close my account all together.

I'll take the views from the EU debate as an example here. We've heard it enough times that the referendum result in 2016 was tight, and the approach by the UK government to negotiate a deal with Europe will remain a hot topic. This is largely reflected on Twitter where the most vocal are either those who are desperate for 'Brexit' not to happen, or those who want it to take place at whatever cost. A reported 700,000 people attended a march in support of the so-called "People's Vote". The events surrounding that flooded my news feed, thanks to die-hard Remain voters, enough for me to have no idea how my beloved Chelsea were doing against Manchester United. But almost equally, the comments from pro-Leavers came in force, saying the same things they've been expressing these past five years.

The events surrounding Britain's future relationship with Europe will always be debated, even after 29th March 2019, when the Article 50 transition ends - marking the formal collapse of UK's membership of the EU. However, the views of individuals will always linger, regardless of what type of 'deal' is agreed between the two parties. It's almost as if certain Twitter users copy-and-paste their views. For months on end, I felt my news feed was the sequel to Groundhog Day. It drove me round the bend.

Enough was enough, I thought. I took the decision to perform a mini clear-out and unfollowed nearly a third of people or groups. I now follow 672. There's a big part of me that felt a huge sense of relief - those same, laboured views will no longer litter my news feed. I can actually listen to news debates without opinions shoved down my throat. Instantly, I feel less mentally exhausted.

People's Vote march (Image: The New European)

Despite this, there is a part of me that feels sad. I had never previously done a mass unfollow on Twitter in my nine years as an active member of the website. I followed 924 people and groups for one reason or another and was satisfied in doing so. I was interested in reading the announcements of politicians, laughing at funny tweets by my favourite comedians and be intrigued by personalities who had a personality. Perhaps my level of tolerance has decreased, which, yes, okay, it has. But with good reason. Reading so many close minded tweets by the same people who I previously admired, quite honestly, as an open minded person, my mental health prioritises above all else. I want to enjoy logging on Twitter the way I did in 2009.

I have a crazy, yet possibly logical explanation to the tantrums we're seeing on Twitter. The social media site is approaching its 13th birthday. Now, I've been a teenager, at least most of you have been through those years too. Looking back, you are bound to remember many moments which you think 'oh my goodness, I said that!'. Twitter is going through that transition and has been since around its tenth birthday. It's an over-developed lovechild of their founders and users are acting like children, throwing every toy out of their prams and complaining that life is out against them, and they apparently have the moral responsibility to let their faithful followers know about this.

I say, enough. Of course, those who hold such strong views over certain matters are entitled to express them, and Twitter is the perfect way of doing this in an impactful way. It will always continue to be a powerful force of nature and be a platform to encourage political discussion. Though, there is a growing need for people to listen to others who have differing views. As Twitter soon approaches its teens, it's time to consider how we want to see ourselves on social networking site. Continuing the stubbornness will only see a cycle where there is no truce, when right now, that's exactly what the online world needs.

In the meantime, many users will continue to experience trolling or other forms of online bullying. I won't witness much of it now I've done my own little cull. I will now start enjoying Twitter again, to be entertained with light-hearted anecdotes and videos, as well as being informed about the world in an unbiased way.