18. Rt @Martin_Carr Dad (Mum), you know all those early mornings we spent together; me watching telly, you staring at your phone? I'm a serial killer now". #future
Once upon a time I had a pc a new website and a twitter account..Here follows the story of somebody who is clinging to the edge of the twitter cliff. Do you remember when we used to call people by their name not their Twitter ID? Do you remember when we used good old google to find information, instead of #lazyweb Do you remember when we used to read emails? Remember when you didn’t know what #ff meant? Do you remember reading a book? What about reading a book or watching a film without sharing your thoughts? How would you know if you’d crossed the divide from healthy relationship to something damaging?
Being without Twitter at hand makes me feel anxious these days, so I’d appreciate it if you could all don your masks so I feel like I’m looking at a real stream. Feel free to tweet at me, or about me. I’m @CultureVultures. Here’s my story. If I can keep it short I may attempt to tweet during this presentation {Lord my hands are shaking, feel sick, where’s that bucket?’}
My Twitter Godfather @HeartsContent egged me to go on Twitter, she said I’d enjoy it. I was sceptical http://twbirthday.com/culturevultures/ From humble beginnings I started my foray on Twitter, sadly my first tweet is no longer traceable, due to the fact that after 3200 they no longer get archived. Would you like to know your first tweet? What would mine have been do you think? @HeartsContent tweets something cheeky @culturevultures who responds { xxxx}
I can’t remember the first moment I ‘got’ Twitter, it seems we were made for each other. Once I realised you could snoop, get your homework done, tell fibs, make new friends, fill events, find writers for the website. It’s all about relationships... You, me, everybody. Twitter is a love affair. It’s not Twitter I love, it’s the mechanism which suits me perfectly Playful, connecting, questioning, interactive.
I became a civic citizen I see Twitter as an extension of my right arm, everywhere I go I consider the benefit to people of tweeting @LaynesExpresso an example of a ‘civic minded’ tweet. Crossed the boundary of what was normal behaviour. Holding people up in the West Yorkshire Playhouse Queue so that I could twitpic the cakes
But perhaps it’s getting out of hand. In 2.5 years how many tweets have you made? It seems I tweet 37 times a day. Really, it feels like more! So are tweets per day an indication of becoming an addict? What’s normal these days? How many do you make?
Can you compare your tweeting rate as an indicator of how addicted you are comparatively? We measure ourselves against others Http://www.howoftendoyoutweet.com/ Here’s a random league chart of fellow presenters, Leeds people and our hosts. I feel slightly relieved that Mike Chitty is ahead of me, and even happier to see @BookElfLeeds (my twitter heroine) leading this board. I believe @BangsandaBun is in the 80’s.
So I got to thinking, or my husband got to asking, was I addicted to Twitter, and if I was, was addiction a bad thing, when so many good things come from my being a champion tweeter. Are all addictions bad? http://addictions.about.com/od/howaddictionhappens/a/symptomslist.htm Extreme mood changes – happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc Sleeping a lot more or less than usual, or at different times of day or night Changes in energy – unexpectedly and extremely tired or energetic Weight loss or weight gain Unexpected and persistent coughs or sniffles Seeming unwell at certain times, and better at other times Pupils of the eyes seeming smaller or larger than usual Secretiveness Lying Stealing Financially unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at all at other times Changes in social groups, new and unusual friends, odd cell-phone conversations Repeated unexplained outings, often with a sense of urgency Drug paraphernalia such as unusual pipes, cigarette papers, small weighing scales, etc
You escape the house (when you are normally pretty lazy) on spurious missions to spend time with Twitter alone. This reached it’s height when my in laws spent time with us, let’s just say the distance between our house and the shop was travelled in dolly steps
In a busy life, something has to give. Unfortunately for my family, it’s been pride in the house. Never one of a tidy disposition, the combined effect of a twitter and a choice between cleaning up means we live like pigs. Washing up is an acceptable task in a household with 2 demanding children, but I know consider it ME time. Me and Twitter. Me and You. Taking me 30 minutes when a dishwasher would take 2
I’m such a multi tasker, Crossing the line, tweeting whilst eating, abluting, bathing, shitting. Nobody has to know right? Where do you draw the line at Tweeting?
First thing I do after waking, last thing I do before sleeping? Divorce papers beckon
The finger constantly dragging down the refresh button on my iphone app, and the cupping of my right hand in a reverential claw has resulted in a paddle shaped hand RSI http://www.roytanck.com/2010/06/29/anyone-else-getting-rsi-from-their-phone/
I am not alone...One of the best things about being a Twitter addict is knowing that somebody, somewhere is worse than you are. This is what fuels the behaviour, a one upmanship of self disclosure. http://storify.com/culturevultures/youknowyoureaddictedtotwitterwhen
So how addicted are you? http://www.lucianaberger.com/page/12/ Sit down if you don’ think you are addicted If you are still standing up would you ‘out’ yourself on twitter? Have you tweeted since we started? Could you go cold turkey? How long would you give yourself?
So having agreed to do this, I got to thinking about whether I was really addicted. Could I go TwiteLight Zone for a whole week? Could I switch off from the grid? What would I miss? How would I ever keep up?
So we went to a place where Vodafone has very very little reception...Cornwall. A Future Laboratory Report some time back predicted the rise of zones which would enable people to p
Am I too sharing on Twitter and not enough of that energy being spent with my family? Will my son grow up to say the above? Where’s Mummy in this picture?
What should be done? Will I listen to you anyway?
In true Twitter style, I can’t make up my own mind. Cast your vote. #survey Twitter Addiction http://twtpoll.com/qiph9l