Read on Twitter
[THE TEN SOCIAL MEDIA COMMANDMENTS]
0/10
Been practicing most of these for a while, will be more stringent now on. Doesn't amount to much, but that's my contribution to a cleaner, more evolved ecosystem. At least my own immediate vicinity.
Will you?
0/10
Been practicing most of these for a while, will be more stringent now on. Doesn't amount to much, but that's my contribution to a cleaner, more evolved ecosystem. At least my own immediate vicinity.
Will you?
1/10
No hashtag, no trend-hopping.
Trends tempt opinions; often even on issues we otherwise wouldn't. This dilutes intellect. Energy that could've gone into deserving causes closer to hear get wasted on trivial garbage-of-the-day. Tweet to opine, not opine to tweet.
No hashtag, no trend-hopping.
Trends tempt opinions; often even on issues we otherwise wouldn't. This dilutes intellect. Energy that could've gone into deserving causes closer to hear get wasted on trivial garbage-of-the-day. Tweet to opine, not opine to tweet.
2/10
No sharing scandalous videos.
Not even to condemn. Not even to ridicule. Their makers thrive on reach; don't give them that. Issues can be highlighted without scandalizing them for shallow publicity. A rape can be condemned without sharing its livestream.
No sharing scandalous videos.
Not even to condemn. Not even to ridicule. Their makers thrive on reach; don't give them that. Issues can be highlighted without scandalizing them for shallow publicity. A rape can be condemned without sharing its livestream.
3/10
No engaging trolls.
Neither retweet, not reply. May look like cowardice to them but there's neither glory nor class in shallow oneupmanship. Make them earn your attention. By matching your class. By demonstrating integrity to discourse. By being decent.
No engaging trolls.
Neither retweet, not reply. May look like cowardice to them but there's neither glory nor class in shallow oneupmanship. Make them earn your attention. By matching your class. By demonstrating integrity to discourse. By being decent.
4/10
No dismissing reason.
At the very heart of this is airtight non-partisanship. The voice of reason can come from any quarter. So long as they're from a place of intellectual honesty, hear them out. No shame in learning from someone you disagree with. That's discourse.
No dismissing reason.
At the very heart of this is airtight non-partisanship. The voice of reason can come from any quarter. So long as they're from a place of intellectual honesty, hear them out. No shame in learning from someone you disagree with. That's discourse.
5/10
No naming attention-seekers.
Not even in jest. Not even in anger. Not because it's libel, but because that's what they want. They crave attention, starve them. Reference them by adjectives if necessary. Give them the one thing nobody wants: Social media death.
No naming attention-seekers.
Not even in jest. Not even in anger. Not because it's libel, but because that's what they want. They crave attention, starve them. Reference them by adjectives if necessary. Give them the one thing nobody wants: Social media death.
6/10
No cliché.
Many jokes and wisecracks, unbeknownst to the ones making them, happen to be long past their shelf life. Witticisms like jumla, 15 lakh, achhe din, presstitute, etc. are no longer witty. No problem with that, except, people stop taking you seriously.
No cliché.
Many jokes and wisecracks, unbeknownst to the ones making them, happen to be long past their shelf life. Witticisms like jumla, 15 lakh, achhe din, presstitute, etc. are no longer witty. No problem with that, except, people stop taking you seriously.
7/10
No memes.
Again, barring an ocassional exception, these are generally meant to appeal to the very bottom of the pyramid. You're way above that. Don't fall in that trap. The more you please that lot, the harder you impeach your own station.
No memes.
Again, barring an ocassional exception, these are generally meant to appeal to the very bottom of the pyramid. You're way above that. Don't fall in that trap. The more you please that lot, the harder you impeach your own station.
8/10
No courtesy likes.
There's great tweets, and there's not-so-great tweets. Just because someone happens to be a friend or a respected figure, doesn't mean everything they tweet is going to be top-shelf. Hit that heart icon only when it is. Make your likes mean something.
No courtesy likes.
There's great tweets, and there's not-so-great tweets. Just because someone happens to be a friend or a respected figure, doesn't mean everything they tweet is going to be top-shelf. Hit that heart icon only when it is. Make your likes mean something.
9/10
Non-partisanship
It's possible to be political, yet not beholden to a party. Or even ideology. No ideology is ethically kosher. Judge an opinion on its own merit and not that of its maker's. Not doing so is an insult to your intelligence.
Non-partisanship
It's possible to be political, yet not beholden to a party. Or even ideology. No ideology is ethically kosher. Judge an opinion on its own merit and not that of its maker's. Not doing so is an insult to your intelligence.
10/10
No heroes
This ties in closely with non-partisanship. Leave hero-worship for the lowest common denominator. Nobody deserves 24/7 adulation. Personality cult is detrimental to society. You do that on Twitter and all you'll gather is fellow sycophants. Do you want that?
No heroes
This ties in closely with non-partisanship. Leave hero-worship for the lowest common denominator. Nobody deserves 24/7 adulation. Personality cult is detrimental to society. You do that on Twitter and all you'll gather is fellow sycophants. Do you want that?
