One of the people I follow swore in one of his tweets today. I got me thinking that generally speaking, not many people swear on Twitter. Not that this is a bad thing.
Though I must admit, I found it refreshing to see someone use a swear word on Twitter as most of us use ‘bad language’ in real life. I don’t swear all the time but I do use swear words a lot whilst out with friends or out drinking (who doesn’t). I can understand why people find it offensive but the way I see it, they’re just words.
However, I’m not ignorant and I know when not to use such language (hint : probably not a good idea to use it in an interview or when you meet your in laws for the first time!). I never use bad language in blog or forum posts that I have written because I know some people find it offensive.
Should Twitter considered be in the same light or is it ok to swear on Twitter because it’s more personal?
Personally, I don’t see the need to swear on Twitter but unless someone is using several swear words in every tweet, I doubt I would unfollow them. What would you do?
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I’m not offended by the occasional swear word now and then…like you said I use them myself sometimes. But if someone did it repeatedly I’d be pretty likely to unfollow them unless I was getting something else of value from their tweets that made me want to keep them on my list.
Why would I unfollow someone who swore alot in their tweets? Well, simply because we are all surrounded by enough negativity each and every day. For me Twitter is a way to stay connected with my friends. I don’t yet use it as a business tool, but if I did…well swearing is just not appropriate in the business world either.
But occasional swear here and there can sometimes help make someone’s point…however if it’s repeated, it’s pretty likely that I’ll unfollow.
I voted Yes, but I don’t think the answer is as simple as Yes/No. It would really depend on who they were and why I was following them.
1) If they were somebody whom I really considered a friend….maybe somebody I knew in the physical world, then I probably wouldn’t stop following them. Especially if I sat in a bar with them 3 times a month and that’s how they talked.
2) If it was somebody who responded to my tweets….with honest @replies (not the never-ending string of advertisements) I might not
On the other hand, have you ever Googled your name? I always think about what I post and how I identify myself with my posts because I’m searching for a new job. Its important that prospective employers don’t find my name in Google excerpts with lots of foul language in it. If they actually read the full post, they may realize that I wasn’t the perpetrater of the foul language, but when investigating 100 applicants, who has time for that?
Depend on who did the swearing. If someone close or even a net friend I wouldn’t mind. If an unknown followers who keep using foul languanges then I might unfollow them.
Yeah I think very few people would unfollow a real life friend. I bet if you did it would cause an argument in real life haha.
Tracey – What if it wasn’t negative i.e. something like “Wow, I had a great f@@@ing day at the races”
Paul – I agree. If you are enjoying tweeting with someone they would really have to start pissing you off for you to remove them.
Roseli – It seems most people feel this way…i.e. the less they know them, the quicker they will unfollow them if they do something spammy or offensive.
Well it still would depend on who that person was. If as you mentioned it was a “real life” friend…probably would not un-follow…but if was just a net friend…unless I was getting something of value from the tweets that person usually posted…I’d probably unfollow.
There is just too much negative stuff I have to deal with every day anyway so just don’t need more.
You really should have a third choice. I wanted to vote no then yes then no then yes again. It is not an easy answer. It is nice that most people do not swear on twitter and if it became a cess pool of swear tweets, it would quickly loose its appeal. I would not stop following someone for a rare swear that might have a reason (I don’t swear much, but when I hit my finger with a hammer gosh darn does not do much good, a few choice words are much better). So there is a time when we all let out a *@**$*$£* so we cannot be too judgmental but on the hand we don’t want to be reading this stuff all the time.
Interesting question, thanks for asking it.
I think google pagerank is updating. Time To Tweet now have a PR2. Cool.
tweetchatter – I was thinking of adding a 3rd choice (still could I guess) but I assumed that everyone would vote for ‘maybe’. Which doesn’t really tell us anything. Though I appreciate a yes/no scenario is misleading if people could swing their vote either way
Roseli – Thanks for letting me know. Didn’t even notice til you said. PR 2 is pretty bad but the site might have got into the update late. Though it’s probably more to do with the lack of backlinks to the site, something which will get better with time.
I would not follow or would unfollow someone who uses a lot (defined as more than an occasional swear word) of bad language. This is not so much from a position of morality or offensive word usage, but rather has more to do with making an intelligible point or comment. A lot of bad language tends to make both the author and the update appear infantile and the point gets lost in the mix, except that of anger or other such negative emotion.
The whole point of Twitter is the provision of a forum for many to share their ideas, comments, opinions, and interests with many others who may or may not share in their views. With the 140 limit this form of chat/text doesn’t lend itself to wasteful usage of one’s words and/or abbreviations. In short one only has a limited amount of space to make a legible or clear and concise point and to waste that space on repetitive and negative bad language doesn’t give their point much weight.
The use of foul language, while being offensive to some, also turns others away simply because of perceived shallowness of thought. That is to say that if one can not make their point without resorting to such language then their point lacks the weight of forethought or lack of vocabulary. Why then listen/read to that which conveys nothing more than just anger, adolescent humor, or other such negative emotion about a particular subject. There is more than enough of that within our own lives to deal with.
One last thought on this issue is that there is such a thing as social etiquette and respect of others which has become sadly lacking in today’s times. One may still effectively convey their frustration, anger, dissatisfaction, point of view, etc without resorting to the use of foul language. If one needs to vent, do so either in private or with friends in a non-public setting. Social networks should be conducive to either bringing like-minded individuals together or sharing opposing views in a congenial, respective, intelligent manner. It is in part about meeting others, sharing ideas, thoughts, opinions, and interests and in part about connecting with many individuals from very diverse backgrounds and cultures. It is a freedom in our country not found in most countries around the world, this ability to openly share one’s thoughts and opinions, no mater the subject. We should respect that freedom and avoid the use of foul language as a show of respect for others within the network.
Thank you Kevin for the opportunity and the space here for us to voice our opinions on this subject. It is appreciated.
no problem Richard, I appreciate feedback from you all.
:)
I would care if someone used a swear word to get a point across. If someone uses swear words as a substitute for not being articulate that would get on my nerves and that would make me unfollow someone.
your seriously uptight if you get offended by fowl language.
Cluck, cluck!
There is a time and place for expletives but it’s unnecessary to use foul language all the time – it loses its force and simply becomes irritating. Such a shame for people who can’t express themselves any other way.