As you can see from the exchange below, two professional writers acknowledge that the collective “we” may be spending too much time talking to ourselves in today’s echo chamber of choice.
I mention Twitter as the place where the self-proclaiming gather, but it might also be said of Facebook, one’s blog, and so on. And let’s not halt there. Ad campaigns talk to themselves all the time. So do poorly constructed novels, films, essays, poems and so on.
One of my friends asked why I persisted in “shouting into the void” (the void being twitter).
I told him it was on the off chance someone actually finds my thoughts interesting or affecting.
I think that’s what we’re hoping for with any piece of communication.
For sure, we’re all looking to connect with people via our writing, art, film making, etc. It’s just that there’s a desperate nature to this need to be heard and seen and it’s on display all day every day on Twitter especially. And since I’m participating so heavily myself and producing content every day for multiple audiences made up of friends and readers and a few customers, I bump up against this desperation in others and in myself.
Another point I’m making above is that Twitter is being used as a broadcast venue more than a listening and reacting venue.
I often feel like I’m talking to myself when I leave comments here.
HA! I always appreciate it when you do, even when I don’t say so.
I’m with David. We’re glad you’re here even if we don’t respond all the time.