Does Twitter Make You a Nicer Person?

This is so weird…I was thinking the same thing yesterday. #FollowFriday seems to really bring out the sweetness in the Twitterverse.

You thank your followers for following…in turn, they thank you. The appreciation, accolades, and other tweet little shoutouts are unending.

I’ll admit most of the tweeters I’ve met and acquainted myself with seem to be really nice people. Wouldn’t it be grand if life was actually that way.

But who knows…maybe this is the start of something big…

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 5:52 am

Thank you for your comment Roschelle! We appreciate your visiting our blog and checking it out. And, YES, it would be grand if life was actually that way. Well, it is, right? … because we have Twitter and those are real people typing those tweets (most of the time, hahaha).

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I’ve thought about this a lot.

Pretty much everyone I follow and tweet with regularly is so incredibly kind & nice. And I do think that the people I follow on twitter make me a better person. A lot of them, make me want to be a better person. The people I follow on twitter, also solidify my outlook on life, I get inspired by them every day and I’m thankful for that and their friendship.

So in short yes I think twitter has made me a better, a kinder person

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 6:28 am

Jenny, you worded that so nicely. I agree, the kindness of people on Twitter inspires me to be a better person. That is so true. Thank you for that!

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I agree with whatever you’ve written. I guess its probably that one is conscious of what he is writing & the internal fear that what the other person would think about him! As far as the tweeverse whom I follow, have been really sweet & interactive with me. As you’ve written, it makes us more patientfull!

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 7:00 am

Hmm.. I wonder why it makes us more patient of all things. I don’t know. It’s very interesting though, looking at human behavior and how we react in certain situations. Thank you for your comment.

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This is very true. Right down from celebrities to normal people. I’ve made some meaningful friendships on Twitter, and the support I get has helped me through some tough times. I too don’t think the same in real life as I do on twitter, but I have noticed friendships and a development of patience since I joined.

So yes, twitter has made me nicer, and somewhat happier. I notice it most at follow friday.

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 7:00 am

Oh yeah, when I first got on Twitter, I blocked out my schedule every Friday morning for Follow Friday because it was like one huge giant Twitter love fest. Hahaha!! I know what you mean.

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I have noticed that, but personally I also try to be nice all the time in my nonTwitter life. There are days when it seems harder to do, but still I remain polite and respectful. On those days I keep more myself when possible, but they are rare. I guess the not so common courtesy is not so uncommon on Twitter…Nice!

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 9:03 am

Again, you have worded this eloquently. Thank you very much.

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I think the 140 character platform limits nuance, so people SEEM nicer, or maybe it’s how we read that form of writing. I think about the account @Shitmydadsays — that stream of consciousness would not be nice if you had to sit on a porch with that guy, but it’s somehow quaint and amusing on Twitter.

I’ve also seen some pretty hairy flame wars flare up in discussions by folks on Twitter who are a lot less nice when they have unlimited text to write in. Maybe the nuance of the text, maybe they just don’t know how to communicate and be mean in 140 characters.

But I think there’s also the popularity contest/personal ego part of Twitter. Most people are looking to connect with other people, either for personal gain like all the sales people (who never say anything mean, but then never really say anything at all), or for personal ego like, well maybe me.

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Michael, I saw your tweet about this, and thank you for your insight. You may be right, maybe it isn’t “real” – but that doesn’t make it bad, does it?

Whatever the reason behind it, whether it is completely genuine or not, I love the warm & fuzzy feeling of it all.

I agree, sitting on the porch listening to @Shitmydadsays wouldn’t be my idea of a positive fulfilling conversation, so I think you may be on to something with this.

Maybe we can find a way to enjoy just about anything, as long as it is in small doses, as in 140 characters or less.

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Ya, interesting. I think however that people’s real personalities will come out, if not right away, they will eventually. I just look at myself, the stuff I write. I have a subtle sense of humor, sometimes it’s “innocent”, sometimes, not so much… I confess, I like to dig, to “stir things up” a little. You might have noticed that already in some of my posts, tweets and comments. It’s in my poetry as well. Read my books and you’ll see what I mean. But then, I think “nice” all the time is boring and not being honest to who we are as human beings. If we’re going to be real people, sometimes we fight, sometimes we get nasty, sometimes we’re in a bad mood. Just don’t take anything I say too personally, because I write from my point of view (the only one I have), and sometimes I’m wrong (or just being ornery…).

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Jeez, do you have ANYTHING to say that isn’t about Twitter? Seriously how have you not been fired from all of your jobs?

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 11:59 am

OMG… I can’t stop laughing from your comment. Hahaha!!! The reason I haven’t been fired from my job is because this IS one of my jobs. LOL And, believe it or not, I have a lot more to say about Twitter, so stay tuned. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard. You crack me up.

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[...] original post here:  Does Twitter Make You a Nicer Person? | Bit Rebels Tags: nice-the-twitterverse, noticed-how, stream-today, twitter, twitterverse, you-ever What [...]

What a great & thought provoking post this is Diana Its funny because yesterday a new follower said to me ‘you seem to have nothing but nice things to say about everyone’ I think this has a pretty simple answer. The thing about twitter that differs to normal life is you are free to choose who you follow & who you communicate and become friends with. In life you can’t always do this and find yourself having to work or socialise with people that you maybe don’t feel very comfortable around. Negativity in a person is my least favorite quality so I choose not to follow or tweet with them. Likewise rudeness or bad manners there is just no need. If only real life was a little more like twitter. I like to think that I have good manners and am polite and kind as much in real life as on twitter. But you’re right there is a certain sweet factor to twitter! And you know what, I like it and who knows it could rub off on everybody Thanks for the fab post as always.

Laura. xo

Ps. That comment above is hilarious!

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[...] read more…. [...]

Laura’s observation about choice is dead on. In Twitter, you can easily choose who you follow/unfollow. In life, that choice may not be easy and it can come with consequences – ugly and terriying consequences.

As some of you know, I don’t unfollow. Never ever. But I do punish those who pollute my fishbowl. =P

And some I punish again and again- long after they unfollowed or blocked me. Satisfaction is written in big, bold handwriting.. on my tattered book of crime and punishment. =P

But, I have to admit that I’ve softened. And it doesn’t feel right. Yes, Twitter is to blame. And tweople just like you, Diana, are to blame. Actually, you, Diana, are included among the guilty.

It’s hard to kick even a good-for-nothing cat that gets into the garbage – especially when it makes soft, affectionate kitten sounds.

It’s hard, but someone’s got to do it. At least, every now and then. Otherwise, the world would go to hell – more sooner than later.

@hannibal666

Follow @hannibal666 to #enlightenment!
http://www.twitter.com/hannibal666

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Never occurred to me before, but yeah…compared to the cesspools that the “comments” sections of so many blogs have become, my experience on Twitter has been that people are for the most part polite. I’ve expressed controversial views (granted, most of the people who follow me probably agree with those views), and have never been called names. I don’t SEE many tweets where people are being particularly hostile to others.

Maybe it’s just that the 140-character limit doesn’t allow much flexibility for extraneous insults in one’s tweet. But whatever it is, it’s a good thing!

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Love that you make us take time out of our day and actually ponder on thought-provoking posts such as yours . Again kudos to you my friend for this great post.

There are salient points made by Michael, Brent and Laura on which I mostly agree on such as:

1) Projection of Our ‘Modified’ Behaviours
Connection or engagement is key to the very foundation of Twitter in order to really benefit to what Twitter is all about, other than just an information stream.

Whether connection relates to business networking, part of a social media/ sales campaign, exchange of ideas/opinions, or just forging personal friendships, it requires a projection to Twitterverse of a constant and consistent ‘seemingly’ best behaviour in each one of us to attain the goal of a ‘connection’ with a tweep.

The modified behaviours might be the real deal, might be forced or might be a combination of the two. I would presume the latter as we try to dig in to the most positive behaviours of our personnality in order to initiate and maintain the intended ‘connection’. All in all, a very good outcome for all and our own personal development.

Ultimately, Twitter then does make you a nicer person, no matter what your original intentions were in order to ‘survive’ in a Twitter engaged community.

2)Our Personal Selection
Building on Laura’s spot-on comments, the ability for us to choose who we follow and engage with, is another influence on the positive connections we have on Twitter.

We choose tweeps we actually like, be it based on the content and quality of their tweets, their engagement with others, and their own likeable personnality. If the connection vibe does not contribute positively to our objectives for Twitter relationships, we simply ignore or unfollow the particular tweep, yet remaining cordial (at least for the majority, let’s not discuss the behaviours of the minority of trolls out there lol).

3) Reality
In reality, even if you’re as angelic as Mother Teresa, there will always be some type of nastiness and disputes between your best friends, colleagues, and family.

I think as we are all humans after all, within the behind-the-scenes of Twitter, people are not so nice. Misunderstandings, disputes and gossip will definitely prevail between tweeps in private conversations but not spoken out in the mainstream. We are all guilty of this at one point or another during our Twitter experiences. It’s human to do so.

Saying all this, it is our own choice how we want to see and take out of Twitter, I stand by you to try to think of the best in people and remain positive in our thoughts and in our own behaviours toward others. What goes around comes around.

I would only suggest to be slightly realistic that the niceties in Twitter have certain preconditioning around it and may not always be the real deal. If we do find genuine people that transpires in real life to be as nice offline over a period of time, then they’re definitely keepers as friends and/or networks.

Until such time, I think it’s best to keep an open and positive yet realistic mind about people you meet online.

P.S Sorry for rambling so long lol

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As somebody said before, I was thinking about this too because of #followfriday.. I mean, it’s such a lovefest! It always feels so nice to have all this kindness going around.
I don’t do a lot talking on twitter but I do interact and I’m always marveled with how nice people can be and not just b/c they are trying to “sell” you something, but b/c they are truly kind and amiable.. like you
I don’t know if twitter makes us nicer, but my personal experience with twitter makes me believe (with little few exceptions) that it does makes us want to reciprocate all the kindness that one receives.

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Diana,

Such an interesting observation. I agree. I’d like to think that I’ve followed people who are nice in real life and their Twitter stream is a reflection of their true personalities. Not a “fake” front. Perhaps I’m being naive? I certainly hope not.

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

We are not being naive. I don’t want to ever believe that. As with anything else, only time will tell; however, I believe the best in everyone until they prove otherwise. I love my Twitter friends dearly and I believe they are being “real.” There is no reason to believe otherwise. Thank you, Debbie, for your comment!

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[...] Birdchick and… 4 Tweets Twitpic – Share photos on Twitter 4 Tweets Does Twitter Make You a Nicer Person? | Bit Rebels Have you ever noticed how nice the Twitterverse truly is? I sat back and stared at my Twitter [...]

Nice post! It’s one of the appeals of Twitter for me…I’m always amazed at how few flamewars I see. People seem to converse on things they can talk about and let the rest go. If only the broader society could learn from that!

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Nice post!
It’s true for me. Since I’m on Twitter, I got a lot of inspirations everyday and I often make new twitter friends. It’s really good to learn from other people from all over the world.

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I’m a little late chiming in but I have to agree that it appears everyone is very polite and cordial. I think we choose to follow those we like and look up to; generally nice folks! Who wants to follow egos and attitudes, right?

Twitter has been a very good learning tool for me but not just with the content that is tweeted but also with the context in which it was tweeted.

I love your writings, Diana – another good one!!

Warm regards,

Tina

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Hello Diana

I treat people the way I would want to
be treated.

Kindly,respectful,helpful.

What I’m on twitter I’m the same in real
life.

I’ve seen some nasty things on twitter but
I’ve seen some wonderful things happen on twitter
to.

I like to think Twitter does bring the best out in all of us but only time will tell.

I’ve made some wonderful friends on twitter to and you i hope to become friends with and get to know better.

Thank you Diana for all you do.

Bonnie

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 10:45 am

Bonnie,

Thank you for all your nice comments! I appreciate it more than you know.

Diana

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@bonniessquires Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 1:23 pm

My pleasure Diana.

Keep up the great work your doing.

Bonnie

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I have found that I am much friendlier and open with complete strangers than I had been before getting onto twitter. It helps you realize how much you can help, and other people can help you that you might not otherwise communicate with.

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I don’t believe I have a fake front! Seriously, I Love all of my Twitter and know in my heart they are genuine. Absolutely, I believe people are a little more careful what they tweet because of Tweeting 101. One, you are taught to make 140 characters count and two, you can never never really take a tweet back. I try to be careful but am always working on number two. My Twitter friends continue to amaze me with their knowledge and how they strive to share it with others. What more could you ask from a friend. Diana, you are so much at the top of my list of favorite friends! You have so much insight and are so passionate about what you write. You are also very beautiful and just an all around joy to follow. Thank-You so much.

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 7:48 am

Stu,

Thank you very much, wow, I appreciate this comment more than you know. I’m truly humbled. You are a wonderful friend.

Diana

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Brent ~ the roseman Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:40 am

I’d have to say Ditto, Stu. Twitter wouldn’t be the same without Diana.

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 11:55 am

Aww… gosh guys, you are making me blush, for real! Thank you very much. xxoo

Stu Williams Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:21 pm

Brent, thanks a lot. It is so true and I am glad you agree. Stu.

Stu Williams Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:29 pm

I am in such a state of confusion. How can you Love someone and never have met them. Mmmm, that would be an interesting blog.

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Great article Dianna! I feel the same way, just cant get enough of positive tweets. As I like to say “A tweet, like a drop of water, CAN make ever expanding ripples of positive energy. Its Cyber-Synergy!” I also adore the little graphic you’ve made of the sweet tweeters, can I use it maybe on my blog?

Keep being +++

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Diana Adams Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 5:49 am

Melody,

Thank you for your comment! I love your quote! You may use that little graphic on your blog, just remember to give the original person the credit which you’ll see where I did at the end of the post above. You can just cut and paste that into your blog. You are awesome!

Diana

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There definitely is a seedy underbelly of Twitter trolls, most politically motivated, who revel in the anonymity of the internet. But in the long-term, the model twitter has created allows us to follow the people who we want to meet and get to know better.

I use it to socialize, help people, and have met so many great people in my city and beyond. We all pitch in & help each other. I absolutely love it.

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If you’re in uncomfortable position and have got no money to get out from that, you would have to take the business loans. Because that should help you unquestionably. I get secured loan every single year and feel myself great because of that.

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Yes! it does! Finally, someone captured it! Diana, I tried to splutter about the kindness phenomenon that happens on Twitter on my blog and failed miserably in contrast to your eloquent summation! You exude exactly the goodwill, generous spirit and enthusiasm that addicts us to those 140 characters. Keep it up, woman!
I also think Twitter encourages tolerance, compassion and open-mindedness to new cultures and people and ideals. All.Good.Things!

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I too only follow “Nice.” I prefer not to be exposed to inappropriate language, or “Too Much Information” regarding topics that should not be discussed in public. Basically everyone I follow is Nice, Inspirational, Informative or Fun.

All can be conveyed using Courtesy and Respect and only 140 Charachters.

Thank you Diana and of course Thank you @TWITTER!

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I too only follow “Nice.” I prefer not to be exposed to inappropriate language, or “Too Much Information” regarding topics that should not be discussed in public. Basically everyone I follow is Nice, Inspirational, Informative or Fun.

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[...] wrote an article once on Bit Rebels entitled “Does Twitter Make You A Nicer Person?” and I think the answer is yes.  Well, at least I think I’m a nicer and more tolerant [...]

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If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.

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Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It’s very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.

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Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.

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Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.

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If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.

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Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.

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Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.

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I enjoyed this. Do you have a RSS feed?

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Good work ! Keep us posting, you are very good writer.

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I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)

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Many thanks! I really think that a couple of my friends will enjoy this post.. now where is that e-mail to your buddies button again?

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This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.

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Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.

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Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.

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This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.

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I actually decided to produce a quick movie about this, I would be grateful if you could maybe take a moment to check it and possibly leave a message about what you think, I left the video url in the “website” field, hopefully you can get to it, thanks a lot

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Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.

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If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.

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Wow this definitely takes me back, do you twitter?

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