A classic X-Men trope is that of the telepath that must learn to not be distracted by the 'chatter' of mental activity around them that only the telepath can sense.
This is how I feel sometimes when I engage with social media. So many 'voices in my head'. And some social media platforms are easier to deal with than others. The higher the interpersonal stakes the more problematic it can be for sensitive personalities to be able to function comfortably. That is why Facebook is my least preferred social media platform. Too many family and long-time friends share that space and I feel like the intense emotional connections/history is a gravitational force that exerts undue pressure for me mentally.
Twitter, on the other hand, is like an impersonal crowd. And the connections are mostly based on hobbies, interests and public venting. It's tools for managing interactions seem less personal and therefore emotional stakes are diffused.
Those are the two ends of the spectrum of social media, I think. It might be said that Facebook is 'high-context' and Twitter is 'low-context' in regards to emotional participation thresholds.
Do you agree? What is your social media platform of choice?
© O. Douglas Jennings
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