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Do you believe everything you tweet?

"Do you believe everything you tweet?" I was asked in the hallway one day.

I was taken aback. Mentally searching the latest batch of tweets I scanned for something that may have precipitated such a question. We talked briefly about the purpose of my tweets and engagement with the professional learning community. I had retweeted the lamentation of a colleague struggling to find a balance between work and home life. To a new tweep, it appeared the problem was mine and that I was in a period of stress.

It made me think more about how tweets contribute to people's understanding of me and reinforced the importance of care in exercising my voice

My tweets generally come in four flavours:

a) Sharing Self
Personal opinions, observations, celebrations
b) Spotlighting Others
Sharing others' good work, resources, ideas. Generally things I like and want to try or think on
c) Supporting Others
Expressions of agreement, solidarity, sympathy, and support for challenging or stressful situations
d) Advocating for Change
Raising points of discussion, controversy, highlighting challenges, taking a position

Although there's no hard and fast rule for how I identify each type of tweet, there are some patterns:

  • SHARING: simple just text, maybe a hashtag or two, usually no twitter abbreviations
  • SPOTLIGHTING: tend to be Retweets (RTs), or direct links to a source
  • SUPPORTING: usually replies/mentions, maybe a quoted tweet with a personal comment
  • ADVOCATING: retweets of a controversial position with my own personal counter-statement

Sharing information and raising controversial topics within the 140 character constraints of a twitter post is not impossible. Doing so in a way that makes clear one's own point of view or opinion is also possible.

Are all my tweets statements of my own personal beliefs and values? If I have taken care to craft the tweet appropriately, yes, each one should reflect who I am and what I believe.

Posted by milesmac on May 11th, 2012 Posted in Pedagogy Tagged as: ,,,,,,

2 Comments

  1. John Robinson (21stprincipal) says:
    December 8, 2012 at 6:01 PM

    Interesting post. I'm not sure my Tweets always reflect what I believe. In fact, I've been known to post a few to "stir the pot" so to speak. The fun usually happens when you snag someone with one of those Tweets who are passionately against it. In the end though, I usually let them know why I Tweeted that in the first place. Thanks for the thoughtful post about Tweeting.

    Reply
    • milesmac says:
      December 9, 2012 at 7:54 AM

      There is a role for provocateurs and having notions challenged. It's when we encounter difference that we better understand and shape ourselves. I'm not one to poke hornet nests though :)

      Reply

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