Thread by @ellle_em, Ok I'm gonna talk about something here and I wanna make it [...]

Ok I'm gonna talk about something here and I wanna make it clear this isn't a subtweet, nor is it about any one person or any one interaction so please don't get anxious thinking I'm calling you out. I'm not.

I wanna talk about how people interact on this hellsite

One of the difficulties of Twitter is that it can encourage a sense of false familiarity. We follow people on here and they share with us personal thoughts and experiences and through this we may feel we're much closer with that person than we really actually are

This is normal!! It happens because we're human and we respond to and think about other people in certain ways and that doesn't make us bad or wrong!!

But the way we then choose to interact with these people can become...fraught.

When we think we're super close with someone we tend to share things with them we'd share with close friends or family. But the person on Twitter isn't a close friend and when we begin sharing personal things what can end up happening is we overburden that person

We tell them about personal trauma, or mental illness, or past difficulties without considering how it would feel to just...have random people unload their deepest hurts on you without asking if you're even ok with deal with that sort of thing. It can be harmful

and it can be invasive. It can put someone in a really weird position, where they feel like they have to respond to your unloading but they don't know how. It can cause them a lot of anxiety and even embarrassment and shame. It can put them in a bad place.

We have to take a step back and think about how we're interacting with people on here. Are we crossing boundaries? Are we acting like we're friends with someone when really we're just fans of their content? Are we expecting too much from people? Are we asking before we share?

And of course you may think "well this person's sharing stuff on their account, so why can't I??"

There's a difference between someone tweeting from their own little corner of hell and someone replying.

If you tweet, you're not forcing your words on anybody. People can choose to follow you or not. You're not forcing a conversation or interaction. You're just....putting some words into the void.

If you reply, you're forcing an interaction

You're entering someone else's space in a way that is very difficult to ignore. You're not giving someone a chance to engage/not engage. You're creating a conversation that now has to be responded to (and yes, ignoring it is a form of response)

See the difference?

Does this mean DON'T EVER REPLY TO ANYONE EVER AGAIN???

Of course not!!! We're on this website to shout into the void and hope someone hears us. Replying is part of that process!! Engaging is cool!!!

Just be thoughtful about it

Imagine the person you're replying to is someone you know in real life but not well. Maybe one of your parents' friends, or a teacher you knew from elementary school, or the mail carrier.

Would you go up to that person and tell them about your deepest darkest past?

Would you expect that person to hear something potentially upsetting or triggering and somehow respond to it?

I....really hope not.

So imagine people on Twitter are like your mail carrier.

They bring you various forms of information and/or entertainment. You know them well enough to say hello, or even have a brief conversation about the weather, or the neighbor's new dog, or whatever. Maybe you even give them a little holiday gift. You have a nice relationship

but one with very clear boundaries that you both respect.

anyway if you appreciate my content please consider helping me care for abandoned cats https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1309999500992405504?s=20

https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1309999500992405504?s=20

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