Last Saturday Pete Alonso of the NY Mets broke the single season rookie homerun record by hitting his 53rd. This brought cheers from fans of the recently eliminated from wild card contention team. It also caused Alonso to pump his fist as he circled the bases, and tear up in the inning after this shot. To me, this was a pure and wonderful moment. Here’s a kid who always dreamed of being a major leaguer capable of hitting a ball 400 feet, and he fulfilled that dream. Bravo I say.

But what did others say?

The great majority of people agreed with me. Yay Pete. But others… Let’s just say that the twitterverse was apparently resplendent with people that thought Pete was a big giant ass. One man even said that it was complete and utter arrogance that made Pete pump his fist as he rounded the bases, and someone that arrogant shouldn’t hold a record, and he wasn’t happy for Alonso at all. In fact, he was disgusted.

Hmmm

A ballplayer is not allowed to show excitement for an on field accomplishment.

If you reverse that, and say, he just quietly rounded the bases, he would be criticized for lacking emotion and being too blasé about having just eclipsed another players record. He would probably be called undeserving.

In the world of social media, you can’t be too excited, nor can you be too calm. But is this a Goldilocks scenario, because is there ever going to be anything that’s just right?

I recently complained to a friend about something I read on Facebook- I thought someone had made a ridiculous statement. My friends response- “You should just throw your smartphone in the river.” I laughed at first- I mean- no smartphone? How would I geographically locate anything without maps? How will I buy tickets for things whthe oeich need to be screened? I mean….. I’m not even on Twitter….. Yet….maybe he had a point. I’m not even on Twitter and I still see stupid tweets…..

There are good things about social media. But I’m wondering if the bad is so overwhelmingly awful that it totally negates any of the good stuff. Does social media give us a license to me meaner and nastier? Is there any reason for people to let out their toxic thoughts 146 characters at a time, 24/7? What is driving us to be unnecessarily critical of everyone and everything around us? Why do we think we are better than anyone else? That our way of doing things is better than another?

I realize that social media is here to stay. But I can’t help but hope that it goes the way of the pet rock and the mood ring. Hopefully, trending is just a trend….

 

44 thoughts on “Tweet Tweet”

  1. I love social media because I live rather far from many of the people I love.
    However, I choose not to read/follow/participate in anything that ‘sets me off’. I do my best not to engage in the chaos. That’s the only thing that keeps me sane on social media.
    Absolutely any and every thing can be a double edged sword, you know?

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  4. Social media can be a blessing or a curse, it all depends on the person driving the commentary.

    Personally, I love the kid. As a Yankees fan who rooted on Aaron Judge when he set the rookie record two years ago, I was rooting on Alonso as he inched closer this year. If you know anything about him, you know he’s a gamer who does things the right way. I mean, he had cleats made up in honor of the fallen and the heroic first responders of September 11th and he and his club wore them. He went against the MLB uniform code but he thought it was more important to honor these people, fines be damned.

    How can you NOT love that?

    So hells yes he is allowed to celebrate his accomplishment. Every team should be so lucky to have a Pete Alonso.

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  5. Faceless, and often nameless- I do think it’s much easier for people to be snarky a**holes when they aren’t face to face with a real person. Freedom allows them to be nasty, or that egocentric snot that I mentioned yesterday. Year by year, the more we bury our heads into our screens, the less we find ourselves able to have normal conversations with others. It’s easier to complain in a text or toss labels and derogatory remarks around on Twitter. Social media is far-reaching and that impact is what so many crave.

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  6. Often People can on impulse do something or say something they want to redact but it’s too late, already out there.

    The days of hand written letters allowed thoughtful consideration of language and we had to walk to the mailbox.

    I think the public now wants instant everything, perhaps slowing down and enjoying the time to have a real conversation, share a cooked meal, taking a walk need to be restored to a place of higher value along with the golden rule.

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  8. Ha ha, I like your last line. I was never a fan of trends like mood rings, etc.
    I find Facebook disturbing because it gives me information I don’t want to know. For example: husband’s son and wife were entertaining her dad with rides on the sailboat, fishing, trip to Disney while we were taking care of two dogs in cages for almost 3 months. I didn’t think this was fair to my husband. Me, I am ok, but the information did not do me good, so I excused myself from Facebook by disconnecting, so I wouldn’t make a mean remark.

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      1. I felt like..what are we? Chopped liver…I didn’t tell my husband even if he tells me, “I don’t have feelings.” Yes, he does. They should not be so selfish. Thanks for listening, LA.

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      3. We were taking care of their dogs and hubby helped in many ways with their move. I know you followed my saga and I have moved on but facebook is not good for me. I disconnect often. Unfortunately that is the way I keep in touch also with some family and good friends.

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  10. Unfiltered – I think to take others’ perspectives with a grain of salt (particularly if they don’t ‘vibe’ with me). I enjoy the diversity in opinions but definitely try not to engage with that type of behavior.

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  11. It’s amazing what people on social media say. I’ve read some really scary comments in the “comments” section of various online news articles. I’m sure those writers would never such things out in public where everyone knows their name.

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  12. I don’t have a smart phone, but I thought about getting one. I went on Facebook to ask for recommendations. So many people simply responded: “Don’t do it!” I mean, they have one but wish they didn’t. Still, they say they could never go back. I decided not to get one either.

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  13. One of the Toronto Blue Jays players was criticized for something similar a few years ago and I never understood that. To me he was just happy he got a homerun and he expressed it with a spur of the moment gesture. I had never heard that that was a no-no until then and am still puzzled. Perhaps it is one of those unwritten rules of baseball? As to social media meanness I have no comments as I am on Day 5 of a miserable cold and my brain is mush……there does seem to be a general meanness in society now.

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  14. I took myself off Facebook a couple of years ago, finally taking the step of actually deleting my account for it only last month. It felt good doing that. But I do have a Twitter account to follow the rants of my political and literary heroes. Whenever I deign to actually tweet something, I do feel the sting of strangers’ criticisms. I admit they do sting and are hard to wash off. So I’m learning to be more voyeur and less actively engaging.

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    1. I try to limit my time on social networks, and I’m very careful about what I choose to look at, but still…..you’re eye can’t help but see, and your brain can’t help but take it in

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  15. I have a business page on Facebook and use Twitter for writing & connecting with the writing community. I don’t have issues with social media as I learned long ago how to mute the feed of individuals whose chatter I find annoying, dull or distressing and Twitter’s writing community is so positive and supportive that it’s a joy. Importantly, I almost never use either platform as a soapbox for expressing political (or otherwise contentious) opinions. I have opinions, but no desire whatsoever to get into online punch-ups, especially having had considerable experience with trolls & bots in the past. I learned a lot about how people behave online while internet dating 5-10 years ago & I adapted that knowledge to my use of social media.

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      1. Agreed. I know I’m lucky to fly under the radar. Some of the abuse & bullying of those who don’t is breath-taking. For now, I’m happy to be able to use it without having become a target. If I ever do, I’ll be quick to bail out, but hope that time doesn’t come.

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  16. I’m not on twitter either, and see no reason for it. It gives people a chance to “speak” without thinking first, and bullies a chance to hurt someone with no consequences. No, we don’t need the ability to send our every thought, no matter how trivial or vile, out into cyberspace.

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