How Tweet It Is

Tweeting has taken over where discourse once dwelled, and Steve McMoyler, for one, isn’t crazy about it.

I only get 2 minutes here to make my point. 120 seconds. But I’ll take it. It’s nice and lengthy compared to a tweet, which has a maximum of 140 characters (which I’ve already surpassed).

I love reading and writing, so it’s difficult to see the popularity of a medium that, like so many other things electronic, lends itself to being quick and cheap. Certain subjects just deserve more attention. I still can’t get over the fact that our President tweets. It just doesn’t seem presidential. I can see that it’s easy, low-hanging fruit. With a tweet, you’re basically doing a Dump & Run. A quick pronouncement, and you’re out. Next issue. Swipe right. Click through. Scroll down.

With all the depth of a fortune cookie.

To see the President of the US tweeting is like seeing your mother twerking. Sure, she’s got a right, but it’s just… embarrassing. Nobody wants to see that.

I’d say, “Shouldn’t we expect more from our President?” But this is Year Three, and we’re expecting less. I’m worried that the next State of the Union might be delivered in an Instagram Live with “Candy Crush” in the background.

Is this is what people really want? Leaders that give us simple answers to problems that we know are complex, just because it makes us feel better? Because issues unresolved in less than 140 characters makes us uncomfortable?

Well, I’m going to do my best to ignore all the cheap and ubiquitous chatter. I’m looking for quality. I won’t be played by all this distracting click-bait that’s incessantly thrown at us, manipulating us. I’m going to find the news that does the deep dive. With people, I’m going to pick up the phone when there’s a subject to be discussed. Or better yet, I’ll keep it Old School and sit down together. I’m not going down that YouTube vortex.

I will not look right.

I will not scroll down!

I, for one, will make sure that. . .

Oops, just got a text. Gotta go!

With a Perspective, I’m Steve McMoyler.

Steve McMoyler works in Silicon Valley.