Twitter, Grrr!

First thing to say is, I still don't really understand Twitter, I don't get the structure of the threads. It might be I'm using it wrong or the client is a lot of shit - what ever it is - I find it to be infuriating.

This particular batch of words aren't about politics or independence as such, they're more about the vehicle some choose to debate and get their message across about it - you can take it or leave it. These past few days I've been dipping my toes in to what I regard as being proper twitter debate - it is seriously fuck-a-duck irritating.

I'll tell you what started it though. Mine was a reluctant sign up to Twitter, I've got Facebook so between that and the usual email address's you acquire, (one above board the other for more exotic interests - yeah yeah don't lie now) its more than enough to be getting on with. The thing is though, Facebook is blocked at work, Twitter is not. So bored was I one day, I signed up to the latter. I don't have many followers and I don't follow many people, the reason is because I can't keep up, I miss a ton of stuff that I'm not sure I should be missing. (I've been using it for months and only recently discovered the Interactions/Mentions thing.)

That perhaps puts my limitations in terms of social networking into perspective and it sort of stands to reason - its not that I'm unsociable - its just that I haven't got a clue.

So I've been using Twitter for a while and something/somebody called @netaid (link to their/his webpage) retweets or follows me, the name - cunningly different from the erm, other name - which is 'Scotland' encourages me to follow back.

Bit of a mistake.

An avalanche of retweets from 'Scotland' crashed down from the ether. As far as I can gather, it automatically retweets (or some sad bastard is doing it manually) any tweet with names like @theSNP, @YesScotland or @UKTogether and (I think) any others vaguely to do with Scottish politics.

Being honest, I don't really know how it works, only that my Twitter stream - if that's what it's called - filled (and is filling) up with retweets from every UKIP & Better Together nutball tweeter. Cue me, rushing around refuting negativity, bullshit and other examples of unionist fuckwittery - I mean I couldn't help it.

The thing is - and the main point of this moderately pointless post - 'Scotland' includes so many other @names in its retweets (again, I don't fully understand why,) the character limit doesn't allow you to properly refute anything - you just can't squeeze it in. Its doubly stupid because its all shit anyway, I'm sitting here (admittedly at work - but on a break ;-) furiously editing down responses to the point of incomprehensibility and for what? To refute some plainly stupid argument being made by an obviously misinformed person that (probably) me and only five other users are reading?

We all know about internet trolls and how they work and we know not to rise to it, but sometimes...

In any case, I'm giving up, life is too short. A lot of people think twitter is a great place for debate, I've come to the conclusion that for any thing other than getting the most terse of messages across - its a lot of shite.

I've reluctantly unfollowed @netaid or Scotland or what ever they're called, if there is some sad bastard sitting retweeting manually, please stop - you're wasting your life and those of others who haven't got the sense & strength to step away from their keyboards.

I appreciate anyone making the effort to read these tortuous posts or my asinine tweets, so I unfollow with a heavy heart. For the next few days, I'll know those people are still tweeting the most egregious arse-gravy and I'll agonize about it, the urge to refute will be strong - intolerably so at times - but I will remain steadfast.

Here's something which best demonstrates the previous few days.

Some one might want to start 'Refuters Anonymous', if you adopted a Weight Watchers business model, you'll probably make a wedge of cash.


PS: Would it be hypocritical to share this on Twitter? Probably.