Words
Writing is liberating. It enables critical thinking and provides clarity. Anyone who as written sufficient amount of text understands that you don’t just write the thoughts you have but thought and the text inform each other and the evolution leads to clarity (or understanding that you need more familiarity/experience with a topic).
Microblogging (like Twitter) is pretty interesting. The limits of 240 characters (previously even 140) has a huge advantages like that it forces you to be terse and deliver condensed idea in a concise form (which I am sure seasoned writers benefit from and love) and it reduces the bar to entry (Tweeting is much easier than writing a full blown blog post).
The downsides of modern social network economics encourage a lot of live status updates (shit posting etc.). I believe on the long run that is detrimental to craft of writing on the long run. Further “stream of consciousness” writing has advantages like feeling expressed yet to be a good writer, you need to do what mastering any craft takes, which is to write more and more and some more.
Microblogging satisfies the dopamine needs and the “need to write” might suffer in some people, specially those who started the craft of writing with microblogging platforms.
Some of this might not apply to everyone and that’s okay but I am sure it does apply to a lot of folks and with this piece of text. I wanted to raise awareness on the topic.
Going forward, I will refrain a lot of posting “status updates” type of posts on Twitter and resort more to long form / blog like texts.
After all, it aligns with a very strong personal value I have. I value “attention” a lot (maybe it is even the most valuable thing we have) for both myself and you.
Until next time.