— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) February 14, 2020Within 12 hours, what began as football-related jokes became a reminder of one of the platform’s biggest downfalls; the propensity for matters to escalate into senseless toxicity.
A moral issue?The issues often stretch beyond football. Some will feel genuine anger as they write 280 characters of abuse, others will seek to create controversy for traction. Whether it’s an anonymous account hiding behind a footballer’s profile picture or a journalist competing for the controversy award, at what point do they consider; what is it worth? It’s clear for some journalists, the prospect of furthering their own career is greater than the risk of damaging another’s.As a City fan (1989) I'm saddened that we have been sanctioned by UEFA for breaching FFP, but any 'fan' who compares a MCFC ban to #heysel or any other tragedy to say "yeah but" needs to take a good, hard look in the mirror. Really? People died and you're bothered about a ban?
— Clint Walker (@ClintHWalker) February 15, 2020
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Those who have read the work of Christian Fuchs (The sociologist, not footballer!) will know that research has gone as far as suggesting that people are lost within themselves on Twitter, paving way for a platform that fuels narcissism. Given some of the recent events in the news, it’s unsurprising – the controversy is relentless.From a talkSPORT journalist abusing rugby player Danny Cipriani to TMZ announcing the death of Kobe Bryant before the family were informed, it’s clear some journalists lack consideration for ethics, and, therefore, are part of the problem for the toxicity which takes place on Twitter. They set the tone – and have a greater reach than the account with the Ronaldo avatar posting abuse. There’s nothing to gain from using Twitter to deliberately cause harm. A post could have ten likes while another boasts thousands, but both will be forgotten within a week. Whether it’s a greater shared responsibility amongst users or tighter control enforced by social media providers, change is needed to retain Twitter as a place for both football fans and other communities to thrive. It’s a platform which everybody can enjoy if used in the right way.Feel better about social media
- Too much time scrolling through your feed can become overwhelming – don’t let it spoil your day. Recognise when you’re just scrolling for the sake of passing time.
- If you don’t like what you see, it’s time to start blocking/muting some accounts. Sometimes it only takes one or two annoying tweets to leave you fuming if you’ve been caught on a bad day.
- If you tweet often; care less about the ratio of likes and retweets. They don’t define the quality or validity of your opinion – if that was the case then some celebrities would have much less!
- If it’s getting too much; I can guarantee you’re not alone and there are people around you who are feeling the same. Sometimes a break from social media is all you need – separate yourself from the endless spiral. At times, we’re all guilty of failing to notice when we have spent too much time scrolling through apps – take some time out to focus on you.
