"I never realized I had a problem. I
just 'twittered' because it was a social thing to do. All my mates were doing
it. It made me feel good to have 'followers'; it bolstered my self-esteem. Of
course, you don't think of the long-term effects on your work and on the way
you think. There's no denying that it impairs your judgment…"
Yes, this story is typical. Hundreds of
people are waking up to the long term effects of twittering, and seeking help.
Dave, who wishes to remain anonymous, told our reporter…
"I started using Twitter at work. Just
a few minutes now and then, throughout the day. A lot of my colleagues were
doing it and I thought 'Well, that's cool; it must be part of what I should be
doing at work'. Soon, I was avidly reading every twitter that came my way, and counting
the minutes between my own twitters. I tried to kid myself that it was all
about professional development and getting other people to help you with
work-related problems, but in truth I had become addicted to the buzz of the
social network. The worse thing was that it made me seem busy even when I was
really just frittering my time away. Inevitably, I started to get behind with
my real work."
Experts have identified the syndrome and
given it a name: 'Twitterism', sometimes referred to as 'Spolskism', after the
person who first drew attention to the pernicious damage to well-being that the
practice caused, and who had the courage to take the pledge of rejecting it. According to one expert…
"The occasional Twitter does little
harm to the participant, and can be an adaptive way of dealing with stress.
Unfortunately, it rarely stops there. The addictive qualities of the practice
have put a strain on the caring professions who are faced with a flood of
people making that first bold step to seeking help".
Dave is one of
those now seeking help for his addiction…
"I had lost touch with reality. Even
though I twittered my work colleagues constantly, I found I actually spoke to
them less and less. Even when out socializing, I would frequently disengage
from the conversation, in order to twitter. I stopped blogging. I stopped
responding to emails; the only way to reach me was through the world of Twitter.
Unfortunately, my denial about the harm that twittering was doing to me, my
friends, and my work-colleagues was so strong that I truly couldn't see that I
had a problem."
Like other addictions, the help and support
of others who are 'taking the cure' is important. There is a common bond between
those who have 'been through hell and back' and are once more able to
experience the joys of actually conversing and socializing, rather than the
false comfort of solitary 'twittering'. Complete abstinence is essential to the
cure. Most of those who risk even an occasional twitter face a headlong slide
back into 'binge' twittering. Tom, another twitterer who has managed to kick
the habit explains…
"My twittering addiction now seems
more like a bad dream. You get to work, and switch on the PC. You say to
yourself, just open up the browser, just for a minute, just to see what people
are saying on Twitter. The next thing you know, half the day has gone by. The
worst thing is that when you're addicted, you get good at covering up the
habit; I spent so much time looking at the screen and typing on the keyboard,
people just assumed I was working hard.
I know that I must never forget what it was
like then, and what it's like now that I've kicked the habit. I now have more
time for productive work and a real social life."
Like many addictions, Spolskism has its most detrimental effects on family, friends and workmates, rather than the addict. So often nowadays, we hear the sad stories of Twitter-Widows; tales of long lonely evenings spent whilst their partners are engrossed in their twittering into their 'mobiles' or indulging in their solitary spolskistic habits in privacy, under cover of 'having to do work at home'. Workmates suffer too, when the addicts even take their laptops or mobiles into meetings in order to 'twitter' with their fellow obsessives, even stooping to complain to their followers how boring the meeting is.
No; The best advice is to leave twittering
to the birds. You know it makes sense.