I spend time on Twitter every day keeping track of the latest happenings and news. Once in a while, there is a tweet that makes me chuckle. When it provides a good lesson on social media use, I have to share.
Take a look at this post by Charles Arthur, Tech Editor of The Guardian. I had noticed some comments directed to a few people I know/follow on twitter (Richard @ Dell and Pistachio) and responded with my own $0.02. To the credit of most people, engagement with Amanda was very respectful. I chuckled at the tweets from that day, including Charles’ suggestion that Amanda go “have a wank.”
There four points that are worthy of mention:
First one is: ignore the trolls. And in social media, it’s helpful to tell others who the trolls are.
Second: for the benefit of Google and not-yet-informed readers, Amanda Chapel does not exist. “She” is a construct.
Third: I still don’t get the mindset of wilful trollers. To keep it up for years on end suggests to me a personality that I’d really not like to know: a bit lacking empathy, a la Blade Runner.
Fourth: social media makes it really hard to know anyone you haven’t met in the real world.
Now let’s rewind for a second and look at each of these points:
1. Ignore the trolls. Here, it’s important to define what is a troll.
From Wikipedia: “An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.”
I’ve been involved in car-enthusiast forums (and before that, listserv’s) for years. We all know who wants to push the topic from intercooler performance to why another make owns all. However, challenging the status quo is hardly troll activity. Why is twitter here? What true business use are we presented? According to the definition and application by Charles, Patrick Henry would have been a troll as well.
2. Does Amanda Chapel exist? Who knows. I have a silly cartoon character on my profile, yet I exist. Enough existential examination.
3. Mindset: See point #1.
4. This has always been a problem with the Web. I have met a good number of people online, but distance & time will make a face-to-face unlikely. So should I stop tweeting, blogging and participating?
Dissent is a difficult thing to fathom for some people. My primary interest in the Web is not making friends or getting to know people, it’s pushing the envelope of value generation. This could be shareholder value, or for a socially-based business, a more intangible resource like environmental awareness. There is the possibility that people don’t care about this and that is certainly within their right. However, if the CFO can’t find a compelling reason to fund a program, that belief could change.
And who do I support in these arguments? The customer.
