I will try not to be angry. Not to vent. Not to litter this post with expletives. But, well, there is this….
If you have followed me on Twitter, under the handle, KeyboardMaven, you may have noticed that my account is suspended. I don’t know how, but I broke their “Rules.”
What is particularly infuriating about their action is that they now want a phone number in order to let me back into my account. My response to this? NO (biting tongue) WAY.
Considering the state of the planet, the way the climate is warming, I don’t think Hell has frozen over.
Also, considering the way Twitter handles their accounts, why (biting tongue) would I give them this information? Why (still biting) would I think this is a good idea?
I ended my relationship with Facebook years ago, chiefly because of their bad, and worsening behavior, and a growing sense of self-disgust for supporting it. Then I did the same with other social media sites, because they had become a drain on my time and energies. This turned out to be a wise move. But I stayed on Twitter to be connected with a handful of writers and musicians I like, and share updates and new posts on my blog. Since I am no longer posting with any frequency, and do not feel the sense of importance regarding my creative output I once did, and have little to share beyond a few gripes and stray thoughts, it occurred to me that Twitter had become yet another drain.
I’ve written about this before—the idea that creative people need to be visible and connected on social media in order to be relevant, but I know wonderful writers and musicians who’ve stayed away from it, and I was approaching the conclusion they have the right idea when Twitter, in their infinite wisdom, decided they needed a piece of personal information from me. The truth is, I’m not angry about the fact that they’ve suspended and locked me out of my account. I’m only angry about their sense of entitlement to information I am unwilling to give.
We all have limits. And those are mine.
So, I’m done with them, declaring my independence from this last vestige of social media (removing teeth from tongue), and feeling calmer for it.
Stay safe. Be well. Choose wisely.
Peace.
Update: 9/18/21: I received an apology from Twitter saying that my account was mistakenly flagged as spam, and that they had unlocked it. I then logged in and deactivated my account.
Barbara Froman 
To tweet or not to tweet. Honestly, I’m afraid of Twitter. I still have an account, but anytime I think I might share a thought, I don’t. It feels angry and toxic. I would love to know how much of this “connecting” really leads to meaningful interaction with our writing or other creative pursuits. I’m guessing we are being told it matters when in reality, it’s still the work that matters. I think I’ll join you in stepping away from Twitter. My last hold out is Instagram even though it is owned by Facebook, which I left years ago too. Deep breaths, Barb. And look at you being banned (mistake or otherwise). Well done!
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Thank you for the reassurance, Tracy. It helps a great deal I am breathing better now. The split was a long time coming, but I finally realized that as you say, so accurately, it IS the work that matters, and social media, rather than connecting us to it, only separates us from it. Now, maybe, I can get back to it…I hope…. xxoo
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Wishing you many months of peace and creating. 🥰
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Cheers for you for deactivating your account!! You deserve better!
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Thank you! It was a long time coming, and not an easy decision to make, so the reassurance is greatly appreciated! Cheers!
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I’ll echo EtM, but I will miss you.
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Ditto, Nan. But, we still have WordPress. ❤️
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You made the right choice. I have never been a tweeter and generally find Facebook to be useless but I still hang on there for idle conversation with friends and relatives and for the morbid thought that if I vanish someone might get curious and check. I do get kicked off of anonymous forum sites periodically but no one has ever demanded my phone number or any kind of identifying information as part of the moderating or management process. Ken
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Thank you for the support! And for reading! Much appreciated. 🙂
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I am so sorry, Barbara. That really (biting tongue) sucks! I have never seen any tweet of yours that was inappropriate. EVER! Since I know I don’t see you in other social media places, this was one of the ways I kept up with you and your writing, your art. ~nan
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Thanks, Nan. I think they did it because I refused to give them a phone number. If that’s the cost of staying, it’s not worth it to me, as much as I love posts by you and others. There are just too many ways for that information to be abused.
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