Goodbye Twitter
Twitter used to be my favorite social media… Until I deleted it.
I deleted my moderately successful Twitter account last summer.
While I don’t regret my decision, I still find myself “missing” Twitter sometimes: a rather stark contrast with the “killing” of my Facebook and Instagram profiles, which felt like a liberation.
Hate, ignorance, and negativity always seemed to find its way to my eyeballs
That’s because positive things came to my life through Twitter.
My geeky automotive-themed content had attracted a sizable following over time and sparked a few exciting collaborations along the way. The best thing about the automobile hobby is how it brings people together, and I really enjoyed the thoughtful conversations I had with fellow enthusiasts. Moreover, when I’ve met some of them in real life, each and every one turned out to be just as nice and interesting as they seemed online.
That’s what “made” Twitter for me.
Then came the dumpster fire that’s 2020.
No matter how many words I muted, how many people I either blocked or unfollowed. Hate, ignorance, and negativity always seemed to find its way to my eyeballs, whether I liked it or not. I’ve once heard that everything you allow into your life must either make you happy or make you money, and I tend to agree. Twitter never made me money, at least not directly, so once it stopped being enjoyable, the decision was easy to make.
it’s essential to look critically at how we spend our time and be ready to shed the stuff that’s no longer useful
What happened next was heartwarming, though.
People looked for my e-mail and reached out to me, genuinely interested in whether I was doing well or going through a rough patch. Humanity isn’t doomed yet, it seems! Needless to say, I’ve taken the time to answer profusely to each one of them, and I’m glad we now have a way to stay in touch outside of Twitter.
But there’s no going back, as I now spend here on Medium most of the time I’d have previously spent tweeting, and I think I’ve made the right call. Reading long-form content that inspires me to think differently and do new things genuinely helps me feeling positive and creative.
What’s the takeaway then?
Although I don’t fetishize personal productivity as much as others do, I think it’s essential to look critically at how we spend our time and be ready to shed the stuff that’s no longer useful, including social media: clutter holds us back.