I like STL Twitter. I find it pretty civilized as social media goes. I am averse to social media as a person, but I understand its importance to stay relevant and promote things like this website.
Thing is, I don’t like it, and I’m not really good at it. I don’t really want to be.
I make no money off this site and don’t trademark or protect any of it from a $ perspective, but I want to listen to what other people who care about the city think. People who I will likely never meet because we don’t jive in the same real life places or core beliefs (music and city stuff).
It is a great place to promote events and stay informed.
But say something controversial or somewhat negative and you really see things start to pick up. I’m somewhat self-conscious of saying bad things about city living. It tends to draw in the crazies. Not the equally frustrated city folk, but the suburbanites who love to pile on STL at any given opportunity.
I don’t want to be that guy.
But, lately I’ve tossed out a couple negative opinions and that is when I feel less positive and optimistic. Not from getting something off my chest in a public setting, but rather the ignorance and sometimes judgement from people who I’ve never met, nor likely ever will.
I don’t want to be that kind of voice. I’ll limit that. It’s not who I am.
Then there are the accounts that I assume are city residents who have taken up a singular or idealistic causes. I read/think about these perspectives, but in the end, I wonder what their intent is. What is the desired outcome. What are they doing IRL to further their online causes?
I sometimes wonder if Twitter is an echo chamber for the low self esteem stereotype of St. Louisans. This is a plague for us. A long-standing plague of low self esteem and “we can’t have nice things” mindset.
I find that exhausting. It’s actually really easy to make change here. Not politically or city services wise, we are in dark times for that stuff, but to actually get some things done at the citizen or grass roots level is pretty easy.
Twitter seems a place to complain and be negative or even a place to espouse your ideals that are sometimes lived, sometimes merely online. I’ve seen it both ways, usually the latter though.
But Twitter is the last social media platform I use for this website. I feel like it is a necessary part of remaining a relevant, active, learning person in our society.
I used to have a personal and STL City Talk account on Instagram and Facebook, but I grew weary with the divisive politics and lack of compromise/empathy on Facebook. I decided to give it a break several years ago, and I don’t miss it. My life is better without it. I knew some people well whose online persona did not match their lived experiences and actions and I quickly grew skeptical. I chose to shut down the computer persona and keep a relationship with the real person/people. I think that was the right thing for me.
Instagram is the home of stylized and doctored photos. Not for me either. Doctoring historic photos is more art than anything, and I accept it and even like it when that is the goal. But doctoring photos of modern STL landscapes and streets and buildings with filters does us no service as a historical record or touchpoint. It’s troubling to me. It’s not real. It’s not how it looked on that day, and that is what I most want to see. It is self serving at best and attention mongering at worst. Not my thing.
I don’t care about Snap Chat or the others so I’ll shut up on that.
Twitter is the one I’ve stuck with over the years. In part, because cofounder Jack Dorsey lived here for some time. And, if I’m not mistaken, even went to school in St. Louis at Bishop Du Burg High School in St. Louis Hills.
But, Twitter largely seems to be a forum for constant negativity, railing against your enemy and un-lived online realities with no basis in common sense or hoi polloi understanding. Seems a misguided reality in my simple mind.
Why spend energy on negativity? I loathe it and try to cut it out of my life. It can be hard in St. Louis where there are politicians, subpar city services, careless drivers and no-dignity petty criminals running amok year after year after year. I get that. I get the scads of “St. Louis” opinions from people who live in the burbs and know nothing about the reality of city living. I get that conversation on the bad things is sometimes worth airing publicly. I get venting.
But I think I’m built different than most of the STL Twitter accounts I read. I prefer to reserve criticism to in-person interactions. I prefer criticism when you are working with others toward a solution. Otherwise, it’s just keyboard justice at best, or incessant complaining, posturing and self-serving at worst.
I don’t want to be the tax breaks are always bad guy, I don’t want to be the gentrification hawk, I don’t want to share my activist bents on Twitter. That is personal and better served with bodily action vs. typing. I choose my activist/idealist endeavors very carefully and with much contemplation and investigation.
But, I’m no angel, I’ve posted negative things on Twitter mainly out of frustration. Surprisingly, these get the most likes from my followers. This seems to be a fairly consistent trend and is a bit bothersome to me personally. I think people crave negativity out of low self esteem city bashing and “see I told you so” viewpoints. Worse, I continue to follow some of the most negative STL accounts. I want to know what makes them tick, but I don’t think I’ll figure that out on Twitter. I’m starting to surmise that some people just want an angle to feel heard. I guess it’s like the STLToday Comments section, a place to see what the cup half empty set has to say.
But it can be exhausting.
The thing that bothers me is that when something good finally happens, there is nary a tip of the cap in the slightest to the good stuff. No “glad they are building basketball courts all over south and central city again”. No congrats to those putting in the hard work or those investing in the city.
No “boy, was I wrong”. Nah, they keep plodding. Self-righteousness/elitism can kill the left and mis-information and hate can kill the right. Seems Twitter has plenty of both.
I think people are trying to be negative or are just unhappy or maybe even trying to be funny or rally people in a strange way.
Lack of compromise terrifies me. This is a problem for our country today. Tribal thinking, us vs. them, you’re with me or against me. Nah, I learn more from people who are different than me more than people who are just like me: white, middle class and living in St. Louis and wanting to leave a better and kinder place in our short time walking these streets.
Then you have the voices that are advocating for a single or limited cause. Take public schools vs. charter and private schools, or merge the city and county vs. STL autonomy, or tax breaks and renovations/infill vs. no property tax breaks at all. Take the topic of gentrification being the killer of modern St. Louis vs. bringing on change, higher tax bases equitably. I’ve seen some cringe worthy takes from accounts (not sure if they are real people or not) that have such a narrow viewpoint on life that it tires me. I tend to think these takes are rooted in money vs. altruism, and again, I feel paranoid, but will not block them or mute them, because I need to hear the full story, even if I don’t know/trust these voices/opinions.
There is little compromise on Twitter. Very little consensus or full picture understanding.
So you may read this and say, hey this guy is just bitching about STL on his website, how is that any different than Twitter.
I take that. But the point of this post is to explore the purpose of STL Twitter, and maybe social media in general. I think people want quick takes and short opinions vs. real info or understanding. Twitter fills that desire.
I started a blog back in the mid-2000’s in an attempt to remain relevant and modern (at the time). But I feel websites and long-form reading are not the way of the future. I think social media is. And that is why I still post on Twitter. That, and it’s a great way to reach out to people to collaborate or just meet in real life.
I like STL Twitter, I find it pretty civilized. I think it can be productive. I don’t walk away feeling dismissive or hateful. It has a place in my continued understanding.
But is dissent welcomed?
I grew up around people who I disagreed with. Not as much at the time, but when I look back now, very much. They are part of me. They helped form my long standing world views. They helped me want to be different (not better). It still fires me a bit.
Social media allows you to surround yourself with like-minded insular circles. So much so, that you can demonize the “others” who don’t like your shit or don’t even care to follow your narrow perspective. This is what causes disconnect. I loathe us vs. them. We are all we. Every St. Louisan has a say and matters. Suburbs are not STL, so that is a line I try to maintain. What I mean is the Holly Hills opinion is as valid as the Kingsway East perspective. Different, but equally valid.
How about the gentrification hawks? This is an important topic that is sometimes more economic than racial. Some won’t recognize that. Some see a low to no property tax generating property turning into a higher (sometimes exclusive) use and now generating more taxes for…the services and the less fortunate…and the public stuff. They can’t recognize that for some reason and I don’t get it.
My greatest fear of gentrification is being surrounded by people who I don’t like or am disgusted by. The reasons that make St. Louis more fun and less like living in Clayton or Creve Coeur or St. Charles.
I think much of social media is being able to craft an online audience or persona that attracts like-minded people. I don’t want to ever do that. I don’t care enough about that stuff. I don’t want to have followers nearly as much as I want to have trusted in-person resources and acquaintances to talk city stuff with over a beer/coffee in person. I have little trust of online accounts. And, that makes me feel paranoid and old. But, I just have to go with my gut.
My biggest fear is that we have social media accounts that reference and link other people’s work that helps build their personal agenda. They may or may not build an audience. If they do, they hammer it. More out of attention and dogma than anything else.
I guess I’m old school and really respect publication, long form reading, personal exploration vs. text limited posts and links to other people’s work. I like peer reviewed stuff, academic stuff. People who’ve devoted their lives to studying something should never be dismissed even if you don’t agree with them. People who back up opinions and social commentary with work and experience.
Twitter is weird that way, you can be seen as an “expert” when you really are just a dude behind a keyboard, or a hobbyist, like me. I avoid interactions/opportunities where people want me to speak as an expert for the stuff I’ve laid down on this website. It’s a journal, a diary that I’ve chosen to share, but I’m no expert. I turn down those requests for expert opinions in documentaries and written publications. The few I do entertain are those coming from high school or college students working on a paper. I share my thoughts with them because I have kids and want to support young thinkers/writers/students with no axe to grind.
But one thing I respect about Twitter is that it is an art of editing. I am not a skilled enough writer to distill my thoughts or a point in limited characters. Some are really good at that. I hope to work on that over the years. It is a valuable skill. You may be reading this and think “he could have said that in 160 characters, or a thread” and people would read that vs. this long diatribe. Ha, I get it.
I’ve met some amazing people who ARE putting in the work and trying to understand, but none of them have been social media only people. They exist in real life and use social media as a way to raise awareness about THEIR work and that of others who they know.
Quoting others data and work is important, that’s how we learn. But you have to investigate yourself. You have to put it out there, you have to open it to criticism and can you really do that in short, text limited bits?
Maybe, I’m just skeptical that it is idealism and attention grabbing. I am highly skeptical of those kinds of accounts.
I can’t even say people, because I don’t know if what I’m reading is a personal view or an organization or sanctioned cause of something else trying to push something on me. And let others who are in power to quote it and make bad decisions or forward their agenda and they haven’t even met. Or worse, they are a shill or being used to help others advance their work.
I will never let that happen to me and my online writing. If you want to dig into what I think or am doing or saying, you will be invited to my house, or a tavern or a coffee shop so I can suss you out. If there are sharks in the water or ill or self-serving status quo intentions, I’m out.
See, I make no money here, nor give a flying fuck how many followers I have. This is my HOBBBY. I take joy from it. The day I find no joy, I’m out. I already have the exit post written. All I need to do is edit it and say see ya, and thank you for reading.
So, I’ll leave this thought stream with a question:
Is there a better social media platform where you learn and become better by engaging in? Intellectually, not socially of course. I’ve heard Reddit is productive for conversation, but I can’t seem to get hooked, there aren’t STL topics there that seem interesting enough to jump in. Maybe I just don’t know how to use that site.
I feel like I’ve found a safe place on Twitter without attracting too many weirdos and nut jobs. I guess I’ll keep doing this until I feel irrelevant again. That tech feeling of irrelevance seems to come every five to ten years for this old head.
I hope my Twitter persona that exists here does not feed the on-going low self-esteem that plagues our city more than we care to admit. I hope I can promote reading about STL and listening to people who truly care and seek compromise and a better future for all.
For now, it feels like it is a relatively safe place to espouse my lived experience with strangers or the public.
