you know how people, especially on twitter, try and share their absolute dogshit takes without a care for humility, just unbribled stubbornness

everybody seem so full of themselves and I just can't bring myself to trust anyone unless they show a hint of doubt over their own thoughts, and that's flat out absent from most social media

idk, I don't think I did a good jb describing what I feel, it's hard to accurately put into words

but like, do you have stuff you usually keep to yourself, because like you know the thought isn't well rounded or something and you don't want to say something incorrect. or like interrogations about stuff you can't really answer by yourself

  • hauntingspectre [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Absolutely! There are a lot of topics that go by that I don't comment on, even if I do read the threads, on here or on Twitter. It's not necessary to have a take on absolutely everything! Sometimes it's because I don't know enough on the topic, sometimes it's not worth it (China struggle sessions are masturbatory without the post-cum clarity, sorry folks), sometimes because I can't come up with a good phrasing right at that moment.

    And that's ok. That confidence you see online is one of the worst habits social media has given people. Loud & confident, with no margin for doubt, is for some reason "inherently correct" to people. Social media makes it worse because there's no verbal doubts or tone of doubt to pick up on.

    It gets frustrating, particularly if you recognize a flaw in their statement. After all, they seem so confident. What if they're right and you're wrong? Are you really gonna be a "well ackshually" person? But what if they're giving out bad info, that damages the group he's trying to support? It can get nerve wracking.

    I appreciate folks putting qualifiers into their statements, like "as far as I'm aware", "AFAIK", "I could be wrong", etc. If nothing else, it's far more welcoming of discussion. And I appreciate folks willing to say "Oh, I'm wrong, thanks for the info!"

    Look for people who seem willing to admit they're wrong or that write in a less declarative manner on social media, and follow them. Because I'm listening to a French Revolution podcast, I'll suggest Mike Duncan as a good example of someone who has a good, welcoming tone to their tweets.