Are you building an echo-chamber on Twitter?

A new follower on Twitter made me ask this question.  The follower was from a state’s Senate political committee. Party affiliation is irrelevant.

 Their profile page was well-done; they’d followed the rules to create one with easy-on-the eyes graphics showcasing  the standard symbols. Their Tweets, sadly, were the standard partisan screed that shames both parties and serves only to denigrate our country, and hamper any progress towards solving some of our challenges. Broadcast only mode.

I DM’d

Interesting tweets. Other than the usual partisan dialogue what do you have to offer?

Their reply was:

The next yr we will try to provide as much unbiased information as possible The issues r were the parties differ and that must be discussed.

I thought to myself: The next year? Can we wait? Can your group wait? Why not...today or for their last 100 or so updates?

When will you tip your tweets to offering as much unbiased information as possible? By then will your audience want to hear as much unbiased information as possible.

Partisan dialogue is The issues r were the parties differ.

Is this the way to use Twitter? You're going to trick your followers?:

 Suckers! You thought I was a partisan hack! I’m not! We're actually...a non-partisan organization dedicated to the betterment of our country with no concern or conflict over ideology, dogma, partisan spot at the trough of power.

Anyway. I asked him. ( Maybe I was wrong. There seemed overwhelming evidence that I wasn’t. But, I like the mental BOING that comes when I discover I’m wrong.  Hurts so good on a psychic level. )

I DM'd: The next year. Do you think waiting a year will add to those who want to listen to your message?

No answer for a day except another round of partisan tweeds. "That party’s evil. We’re righteous. Their followers are too stupid to see how right we are."

Then this response: We will continue to offer positive solutions to the problems facing Iowans while illustrating the differences between the parties.

Again, I asked: Great. Which one of your tweets does that? Which one points to a solution regardless of partisan stripe?

And, that is their answer...slogans echoing in their echo chamber.

Is this how Twitter and social media works?

I guess it is. Chris Heuer asked if Social media was becoming a popularity contest or were their meaningful relationships being developed. I answered social media is what we make it. For some it’s popularity contest like in high school. For some meaningful relationships develop.

For some, it’s merely their echo chamber getting louder and louder.