Twitter

To Tweet or not to Tweet, that there, is a dilemma.

 Whether it is a matter of simply expressing one’s self, or if it is far nobler to go beyond self-expression and impart great thoughts and deep lessons with the brevity of one paragraph or less?

 Who would have believed that in the Philippines, a well-known columnist by the name of Joe Guevarra had already twittered his opinions via one-liners minus the Internet that was yet none existent. In his time the 1960s and above, they called his “Tweets” one-liner-quips.

 Admittedly, Tweets can be useful if used with skill and imagination. The mere fact that it is electronically limited to a set number of characters, maybe 2 sentences or one very short paragraph creates a very good training tool for verbose, repetitious naggers of both sexes.

 I for one would move that all couples intent on committing matrimony, should be required to communicate with each other via Twitter for one year before the marriage. Some may contest my rather cynical suggestion but for all intents and purposes, most marriage start- out with long flowery statements of adoration but ultimately end up with “Tweets” after 30 years. Some even survive on “Yes, dear”, “Uh-huh”, “OK” or (What’s wrong dear?)“Nothing”.

 If your marriage has survived “The Years of Living dangerously”, meaning the time when you somehow said too much, too long but never quite said what you meant to say, you will appreciate how Tweets force you to think, write, think and re-write what you really mean in the shortest clearest possible way!

 In like manner, all persons aspiring for public office whether local or national but most especially those wanting to be Senators must personally undergo one year at a “Twitter re-education camp for communications” before elections.

 If you’re an ex-Congressman or wanna-be Senator, just watch and listen to those on TV as they ask questions during senate investigations. Judging from their lengthy, muddled and hyperbolic pre-statements and questions, you wonder how they even passed High School English, much less college or law school.

 I used to think that sending out a Tweet was no big deal, but the minute I started, I was confronted with questions on motive, message and contribution.

 Many people tend to just say what’s on their mind without really asking themselves what their intentions or motives are. The worst sign of such state of mind is when young people say: “Wala lang” (for no reason).

 A close cousin to this mindless expression is “mindless participation just to be socially connected” even if you have no followers in the Twitter World. Of course that is not half as bad as unknown “Bloggers” who email their blogs to the media hoping to solicit some small mention or to be quoted, thereby (in their mind) elevating them to the status of a KOL or Key Opinion Leader. In general they reach the status of a Kuhol or a slug and not a K.O.L

 What is your Motive to Tweet? If you can answer the question, then the next question is what qualifies you. Is it your profession, compassion, calling or self-centeredness? There is nothing like Tweets that lift up people, warns them of pitfalls and blesses them with wisdom.

 But there is no-excuse for cheap, critical, shallow statements that add to people’s difficulties and misery. The worst for me are 3Ms, self-promoting statements or what I would call “Me-Marketing Me” tweets. Sadly business and commerce have dominated Twitter and have twisted Twitter far from being a genuine “social network” where you can stay connected with ease and brevity.

 What is your message? Is it a chant, a rant or a prayer? Do I even want to know how many projects you have considering I can’t even find a job? Is it really correct for you to tell the world you’re not eating the great resort food on Twitter while people at the PGH charity ward don’t even have money to buy medicine?

 This ultimately brings us to the question: What contribution does your “Tweet” make to the community?

 Who cares? Replies the mindless and the clueless. For so long they have comforted and justified their actions by saying Tweets are without rules and boundaries. But they do. Some are stated such as language and abuse, others are implied.

 One gains followers on the basis of their contribution, the relevance of their message and the impact Tweets have on their lives. The best singers in the world would not be without the songs that made a difference. Combining the two resulted in great contributions.

So next time you decide to Tweet, ask again: what is my Motive, Message, and Contribution? Make a difference for good.