JEFF PEARLMAN

JEFF PEARLMAN

Being nicer

So if you happen to be a reader of this blog, you might know that last week I experienced something of a social media spiritual awakening.

I decided I no longer wanted to be the Twitter idiot, and that I no longer wanted to be on social media all the time. So I took a bunch of days off, and plan on being significantly more aware of the message I’m sending on; on being … nicer.

Today, I was granted a test.

Upon signing on to Twitter for the first time in a while, I was greeted by this DM:

I Googled the guy’s name, and all his information was readily available. Address, place of employment, place of education. And the Ghost of Jeff Past may well have exploited that. I have certainly written my fair share of blast back entries, featuring the identity of someone who told me to fuck off or kiss his ass or whatnot. And, inevitably, those dialogues end with the culprit begging me to remove his information. It’s always alongside some apology, and I always—always—take the stuff down.

But I don’t wanna be that person any longer. I don’t want you to lose your job—even if you’re a mean asshole. I don’t want to cause someone damage because he/she misfired or vented on Twitter.

So, maybe this is growth for me.

I hope so.