Social media encouraging conformity?

Okay, so the lack of self-confidence keeps me from blogging often. I end up in this what do I know, or what do I have to offer anyone zone that just shuts me down. My purpose is to learn while doing this, but the media itself implies I am informing. At cross purposes and being overwhelmed with life, it has been easier to just read bloggers. Which brings up another blogger mind block - if you read a lot of blogs - how to sound original and not accidentally end up plagiarizing someone. Messy business, this blogging.

I have added another layer by twittering. Well, honestly again, I read more than I tweet. Embarrassed by my lack of a "life" I haven't really told anyone I tweet. Just a few good friends. Again, I do it more to learn. I am following maybe 30 Twins bloggers.

After tweeting for a while now I have noticed a semi-disturbing trend. Tweeters start to self monitor their tweets because of the feedback. Maybe some of it is deserved. One guy I love to read is FanaticJack. He lives up to his name. He can get very negative in his statements, but it is just him and his emotions coming through expressing his frustrations. Fine. Read him if you like, if you don't, then the simple answer is don't follow him. Maybe a week ago he stated that he was no longer posting negative comments in Twitter because he got too much crap for it. I believe he has lived up to his word. Personally, I think it is a shame. While his comments were usually over the top negative, he made some good points buried under the harsh words. I usually learned something. In my opinion, on the other side is Seth Stohs. He points out negatives, but is much more like me in that he is more of a rah-rah guy who sees that this is a long season and is hesitant to judge a player based on one or two plays/games/series. He will, however, still point out negatives. He commented the other day that he had lost a few followers and someone said it was because he was too negative. Huh??? Wow, if they thought he was too negative, they have issues. Then I read his blog and there was a comment in there that he is too positive. It is interesting to see how one comment can be interpreted in so many ways.


What's my point? In this age of instant communication we have changed some of how we communicate. Emotions typed on twitter are the raw immediate emotions, the curse words that come out of your mouth while watching the game, but in the after game analysis may have been completely forgotten or at least unspoken. Watch Punto and he will make three horrible plays for every absolutely amazing you-are-so-redeemed-child type of plays. If you tweet each play, he is going to look like a clown. It isn't the individual events that make up the game of baseball or judge any player, coach or manager. It is the game in entirety, maybe even the season. If bloggers/tweeters want to call a horrible play a horrible play, or a horrible performance a horrible performance, and do it under the emotions of the moment, they should do so. Readers need to take it in and realize that these are no longer well thought out articles that have been read by several people before being deemed politically correct before being posted. The new social media means you get raw unedited emotions. Read them if you like them, but leave the posters alone if you don't.

Go Twins!