How Twitter reminds to be fair
Recently a couple of events got me thinking about how social media shapes the way we debate, review and otherwise address each other in public. One was a rather negative tweet I was about to do about a particular musician and a recording he just released, when it occurred to me that he was actually following me, and I thought twice, and decided to moderate my view a bit. Another time I was at a conference and criticized the moderator on Twitter, and a few moments later he read it out loud on stage. I have actually started bringing my iPhone with me on stage when I do talks, and I use it to check and respond to tweets - so I was prepared for the exposure. But again I came to the realization, that if I had been talking in the hallway of the conference I might have been more radical in my criticism than I was on Twitter.
I guess there is nothing new in that - most people have always moderated statements in public or face to face with the person in question. What is new is the fact that communication is instant and everything can be broadcast to the world seconds after it leaves your brain (guess we all know that by know). In the past journalists would write their reviews, their op-ed’s and most likely be able to avoid direct confrontation with their “victim”. People would debate and write columns without ever standing face to face with each other.
Now it is different. Everyone can follow what others write about them, and reply instantly. I think this means two things: A. Most people will think twice and weigh if what they put out there is fair. B. The ones who don’t will be challenged.
It reminds me of my first job as a journalist. I worked at a tiny local newspaper north of Copenhagen. If I wrote something critical about the Major, I could be sure to have him on the phone first thing after the paper hit the streets - and I had better be prepared to argue my case. Others would simply turn up at my desk and start shouting. This taught me respect for people and facts, and to strive to be as fair and balanced as possible. The emergence of social media, and Twitter in particular, has dusted off that old basic rule of public rambling.
