RIP the Australian sense of humour, murdered by Twitter.

OK, lets cut right to the chase on this one. Does anyone on twitter still have a sense of humour? Have we become so politically correct that our comedians will suddenly find themselves searching for other employment? Do we know the difference between fun and trolling, or is ‘funny’ now attacked if it remotely offends anyone?

Yup, I’ve pulled out the big guns on this one and I’m waiting to be shot down.

Here’s a wrap-up of some recent twitter action, with some ‘not so expert’ commentary by yours truly:

@EmRusciano tweeted “Will the world judge me harshly if I round house a kid to the head who just spilled my coffee? I am at jnr Aths. I’ve been up since 7am.”  to which someone told her off for even suggesting she abuse a child (that tweet has since been deleted). Em replied she wasn’t even being remotely serious, as if she’d ever really hit a kid because of a coffee spill.  - So, here the debate starts? Is it ok to turn child abuse into a comedy routine? Or do people just need to lighten up? I can understand Em’s desperation at losing her caffeine lifeline and don’t believe for a second it would have come to actual blows, but does the offended person have a point?

Next case: #fakemamamia This hashtag has sent twitter into a spin as people suggest fake article headlines for the mummy audience. Search and you’ll find such gems as “How to host a dinner party on the moon. What to wear and who to invite. We’ll make sure you’re not left in the dark.” – Is this a case of a gang of trolls attacking Mia Freedman or her internet empire? Is she sobbing in a corner somewhere? Or have Australians taking something from popular culture and taken the Mickey out of it (as they are prone to do). Does an Australian ‘she’ll be right’ attitude absolve people who post hurtful comments? Is this a case of tall poppy syndrome? Or were some of the suggestions genuinely funny?

And this post would not be complete without #ActivatedAlmonds, the tag that went wild after celeb chef Pete Evans divulged his day on a plate. Pete was not amused at the twitter world’s reaction which he understandably could have taken personally. A lot of people had a giggle at the concept of activating their almonds (or activating anything) and I learnt something that day. Yes, I was aware of chia seeds & quinoa, but activating my almonds? I actually think people were having more fun with the concept than they were personally attacking Pete.

But that’s the thing with twitter. There is no subtlety, no nuances, no body language or tone of voice. Would any of those soften the blow on a nasty comment? Absolutely not. But I think that the ‘ribbing’ that Australians do all the time just does not translate well to 140 characters. And all it takes is for one person to take offence and twitter is a bad world full of trolls. Yes there is some seriously nasty bullying stuff said on twitter, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I think we do need to lighten up a little.

I’m not suggesting for a moment that online bullying or attacking should be laughed off. That’s a totally serious matter, just before you think I’m trying to tell everyone to just shrug off some of the vile messages directed at them.

But to end on a positive note, today I had a great, adult discussion with @DaltonCatering about fast food advertising & parenting choices. We had slightly different views on the topic and actually agreed on some stuff too, but we managed a civil discussion with limited words. This quick, passionate, respectful debate would never have happened if I hadn’t followed him on twitter and I’m glad to report it is possible to chat and keep your manners.

So, what do you think Australia? Am I being too light-hearted about a serious matter or do we need to laugh a little more?

-SCuffy

Hands up if you need a Smartphone Pledge!

Over the last few days, a few articles have come my way (including one I wrote myself) about smartphone addiction and the impact of our ‘always connected’ society. My favourite so far has been this fromm Joe Kraus at Google Ventures: http://joekraus.com/were-creating-a-culture-of-distraction

Hi, my name is Sonia and I’m addicted to my smartphone. Except it’s not my phone itself per se, it’s that feeling of knowing what is going on right now and what my internet friends are talking about. I’ve reverted to my teenage self and I don’t want to miss out, on anything, even for an hour.

The problem is that I am missing out. I’m missing out on the present. And yes, as new agey as it sounds, with the background of all of those talks that tell us to ‘truly be in the moment’, I’m missing out on what is going on in front of me. That’s kind of important when you have a family.

Don’t get me wrong – I still love to reach for my phone to look up the opening hours of a store or find a recipe or check if a TV program is on tonight. But I don’t need to constantly check it to see who’s posted what on Facebook and Twitter.

So I think someone needs to start up a website with a Smartphone Pledge. You could then sign this ‘contract’ and commit to it for a certain period of time (start with one day if you are seriously addicted, or one week, one month, or even until further notice?).

I’ll start with a few Pledge condition ideas:

- I pledge to not check my Smartphone before I’ve had a shower and eaten breakfast.

- I pledge to not have my Smartphone within reach during mealtimes.

- I pledge to go to the bathroom without my Smartphone.

- I pledge to not have my Smartphone when I am a passenger in a vehicle.

Is this all a bit much? Are we going to far here, or not far enough?

Today I discovered that my parents do not have email on their iPhone. It’s distracting. If somebody wants them urgently, they’ll call them or SMS. They don’t feel it’s necessary to check out what their friends are doing today or to share their day online. I don’t think that our teenagers or most Gen Xers even could cope with that.

We are the generations that have embraced technology. I know and share with a great bunch of people online that I would never have met in real life and I feel richer for it. But now I have another thing to add to my juggling act of balancing my life, to ensure I’m truly present for my kids and to show them have to squeeze the joy out of the present moment. If I don’t, they’ll grow up glued to their phones too. So you see, there is a lot at stake here.

Pass me that pledge to sign, please.

-SCuffy

P.S. If it’s the ‘meal out with friends’ that sees all of the smartphones in hand, check out the Phone Stacking game http://www.news.com.au/technology/smartphones/phone-stacking-game-to-get-friends-off-mobiles-at-meal-time/story-fn6vihic-1226247534506

It’s not you, it’s your content

Today, my twitter account @CTAspley was unfollowed. Publicly.
The person who unfollowed me sent a tweet that mentioned my name, and said as I’d unfollowed them first, they would reciprocate. Boo hoo.

The impact of this is that I became aware of the unfollowing, and anyone that they follow also saw that I’d unfollowed that person. After that sentence, do you still follow me? If you use twitter, that probably made sense.

Does this put a black mark against my name in the twitter world as someone who unfollows? Do I care?

Here’s the thing. I unfollow people. I currently follow over 1,000 people and I just can’t handle that amount of information on a constant basis. I’ve decided to do a bit of a cull.

If I unfollow you, please don’t take it personally. I tend to follow most of my new followers, unless they are a) blatantly spam bots b) tweet content that is repetitive c) tweet to sell services or products not applicable to me/my country or d) tweet how to make money or gain new followers easily. If you pass those tests, I’ll generally follow you for a while to see what your content is like.

In the future, I may unfollow you, usually for one of the same reasons above. It’s not because I don’t Ike you. It’s usually because your content topics are not relevant to me OR you haven’t engaged me in an actual conversation. Some people that I follow are not in my industry or market segment and do not have children. But if I’ve mentioned that it’s been a tough week, they’ll message me and agree and wish me a better weekend. Also, some people who’s content I am interested in, don’t follow me back. Thats ok too. I don’t want to miss out on what they have to say.

If I unfollow you, please don’t take it personally. It just didn’t work out. Is everyone in the real world your friend too? To publicize an unfollow just reeks of sour grapes. I don’t do #teamfollowback, I just don’t see the point. for me, twitter is about content, not numbers.

Similarly, if you unfollow me, that’s ok. I can handle it. I’m a big girl. Not everyone in the real world wants to be my friend either. Not everyone wants to hear about technology, small business, working from home & wrangling small children. I get that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and I’m alright with that.

The story ended with a handshake and best wishes. I told the person in question that their topics weren’t relevant to me and I wished them well for the future. They respected my option to unfollow and likewise wished me well. No animosity at all, just like it should be. So I’m still left wondering as to what the point of their tweet was.

Twitter. It’s a strange old follow/unfollow world.

-Scuffy