Read on Twitter
ok, i& #39;m going to make a thread on this because people using tws wrong is really frustrating and also invalidating to see.
what is a tw? a trigger warning is a warning placed on content that can cause extreme anxiety and trauma response for the individual seeing it. something that& #39;ll set off the flight or fight response, if you will.
what is a cw? a content warning is a warning placed on content that could POTENTIALLY be disturbing, or could produce feelings of discomfort and anxiety to the viewer. this is generally used if there isn& #39;t specific or descriptive language regarding the topic.
for example, a content warning would be used on a tweet with mentions of an ed, while a trigger warning would be used on a tweet with descriptive mentions of an ed behavior.
why is it bad to misuse tws and cws? when placing a tw on content meant to have a cw, you& #39;re downplaying the severity of someone with actual trigger responses. as a result, people won& #39;t take actual triggers seriously, thus making it a harmful environment for people who need tws.
to sum up: a trigger warning is used when descriptive and graphic language about a sensitive topic is used. a content warning is used for brief, non-detailed mentions of a sensitive topic is used. misusing these is harmful because it can downplay the severity of actual triggers.
thank you for reading! i hope this helped to clear things up
