Thoughtful Thinking

April 26, 2021

Would it even be a Twitter deactivation if I didn't write about it? And then maybe even tweet about how great it is to be off Twitter? Probably not. So here goes.

I deactivated my Twitter account on April 5. Since then, I've reactivated briefly only to tell everyone that I'm still alive and doing well after a slew of concerned emails, texts, and even LinkedIn messages (we're always connected in some way, aren't we?).

So yes, I'm well. Better than well. Thriving, I dare say.

There's a thing that happens when you leave Twitter. Your thinking becomes a lot more thoughtful. A lot clearer. Less muddled by the need to parse and shape it for sharing in truncated format on a public forum. Twitter makes you believe that those independent, brief, transitory thoughts in your head are important, and that everyone needs to read them.

They're not.

It's in that 280-character distillation that so much is made important that really isn't. And what's actually important unfortunately gets left behind in favor of hot takes, outrage, polarization, and bullying.

There's some evidence that folks who tweet around 40 tweets per day on average are "highly addicted," and that they tend to be more "angry, disgusted, or sad." In other words, people immersed in negativity tweet the most. Is that any way to live? Does it actually accomplish anything useful?

I've found the answer to both questions, for me, is a resounding NO.

There are enough screeds to tell you why Twitter is awful, and what it does to your mind, so I won't go on at length here. I'll just say that when you're ready, you're ready, and you'll let go. And it will be okay. In fact, it will be better than okay. It will be fantastic. It doesn't have to be permanent, even. See how you feel after a couple of weeks.

Anyway, maybe I'll log back on periodically to share things like this post (love the irony of that) but honestly, I'm so much happier, and I feel my life is far more meaningful, when my thoughts are focused on the actual world in front of my eyes rather than the world as it's interpreted through a screen.

In the world is where lasting change and growth happens, and I'm so glad for that.