Dear Dev community, I'd like to know your thoughts about being (at semi-active) on Twitter.
If you are active on Twitter, what do you like or love about it? Is there something you get only from Twitter and nowhere else?
What about the not-so-nice parts, what are they and how have you dealt with them or lessened their impact?
I'd especially like to hear about experiences from developers who belong to some minority (being disabled, a person of colour, being a member of the LGBTQI community). Is it easy to find people from similar backgrounds on Twitter? What about how the more privileged people treat you, have you experienced more discrimination on Twitter than somewhere else?
Cover photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash
Top comments (9)
I have a personal account and a 'tech' account I largely keep separate. I don't do much tech tweeting as of now.
Regarding tech tweets, some trends really turned me off:
With controversial topics (with no right answer), twitter degrades into a shouting match, where at least with tech, I noticed once a high-follower user would take a side, everyone against him/her would get blasted or 'cancelled'...even if the other side has legitimate concerns and arguments.
I stopped using twitter for finding tech articles now. I just use sites like DEV and others. They allow for more meaningful discussions and when there is a disagreement, you can can read peoples full arguments.
There is always a group of twitter uses stirring up drama to gain followers too. In places like DEV, people can add additional information or challenge the authors perceptions. Regardless, you can find a lot more meaningful information in the comments.
I really enjoy tech Twitter for the most part, itβs a great way to meet similar minded people and keep up with latest trends, but itβs a balance, as there is the tendency to compare with others and sometimes that can contribute to imposter syndrome and related feelings.
hmmm glad you mentioned this. I think this is true for both beginners and those in the industry for a while.
I just saw this in my feed, and I'm sure it's relevant to this convo...
An Introvert's Personal Guide to Tech Twitter
Sarah Shook π γ» Nov 22 γ» 9 min read
Thank you so much for sharing this Ben! This is a really good article, and being an introvert myself, I got very good points from it π
I think another big part is that we βhave toβ be on social media these days, especially if one is working in tech
hmm, not sure I agree we all "have to be" on social media (specifically twitter) I think social media makes people "think" they have to be there, even if they don't. This is especially the case for beginners since they see these 'dev influencers' doing all sorts of stuff they want to achieve and constantly pushing the 'keep writing blogs or this is what I did to grow my twitter following from x to n" kind of message.
If one surrounds themselves with people active on social media and tout social media's benefits, then yes, it will make it look like you are being left behind if you down have a twitter.
I consider social media presence is different than general online presence, such as a personal brand, portfolio website or LinkedIn account. But maybe LinkedIn is considered social media, so, perhaps you are right in that sense.
Even now, I look at the people I work with and many don't have tech twitter accounts or blog and they've all have jobs. I also grew my career without it though, I also have been doing development for longer.
It's the best way to get distracted and experience FOMO
It helps me in finding resources, new techniques, staying updated with the latest trends, basically feeding my imposter syndrome needs π