I have never been a fan of social media.
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter, it has never appealed to me.
With my predilection for procrastination, I need another distraction like a hole in the head. I have read enough about these addictive social media platforms to know that one impetuous ‘send’ on your computer keyboard can land you in a whole heap of trouble.
Especially late at night and more especially, if your opinion/sense of humour/ brilliant thought has been skewed by one too many drams of your favourite tipple.
A rash Facebook message can lead to a fall from grace. A hasty Tweet can end a career. Worse. A cruel post can wreck lives and on occasion, even end them.
When I was working on a television show some years ago, during one of those interminable sitting around lulls – an occupational hazard that goes with rehearsals – a fellow cast member, incredulous that I didn’t subscribe any of these social media platforms, opened a Twitter account for me.
It was very kind of her but a total waste of time. I never got into it. Couldn’t get the hang of it. Twitter, like Facebook, Instagram and the rest, held no interest for me. The account lay dormant.
Until this year. When I started writing these regular musings…
I was suddenly bombarded with social media advice from all quarters:
‘Georgie, to direct people to your blog, you’ve to go on social media.’
‘You’ve got to get a Facebook page – that’s the way to publicise it.’
‘No, Twitter! Immediate and effective.’
Whoa! Twitter? A bell was rung!
I have no recall which of my social media-savvy friends was my own Twitter feed but I remember confessing – ooh, that’s a Freudian slip, bit of Twitter guilt there – I’ll change that. I remember declaring that I had a Twitter account.
With typical hypocrisy, I began using the dormant Twitter account.
Quicker than it takes launch a tweet, ie to press the ‘send’ button, I eschewed my self-confessed antipathy for what I have always called the anti-social media.
I didn’t get involved with all the chit-chat, some of which I found decidedly unpleasant. Twitter for my purposes was a marketing device to tweet the link to my weekly musings and hopefully garner more readers.
Whilst ‘Life in Laytonia’ hasn’t exactly gone viral – note, I’m learning the jargon – a solid number people have indicated they have arrived at my column/blog door via Twitter Avenue.
It is a strange place, the land of Twitter, but at the same time fascinating.
For me, it’s a digital version of Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, where on a Sunday morning anyone can turn up to speak on whatever subject they like. With one caveat: as long as the police consider what they are saying/spouting is lawful.
As a young student in the early 60’s, I was a Sunday morning regular at Speakers’ Corner. I would wander round listening to the gamut of speakers:
The eccentrics. The harmless/not so harmless crackpots. The prejudiced. The hilarious. The fanatics. The misguided. And the downright dangerous, whom I tended to avoid.
Very much like Twitter.
A Twitter plus that contrasts with its sometimes acerbic side, is that people tweet the kindest compliments about shows that I have appeared in or written, frequently with long forgotten photographs and video clips attached that massage my (already overblown) ego.
This one for example:
Z-Cars circa 1964. Director: a young Ken Loach. Note the Gannex coat, as favoured by Harold Wilson
“Minder” circa the ’70’s – more memorabilia courtesy of Twitter
One of the nicest messages I received was from a gentleman thanking me for helping his elderly mother at an airport.
You see – there is a gentle to social media.
Another appealing Twitter bonus is that – if you want to – it can reconnect you with people that you have lost contact with.
It was such a re-connection that begat this New Look ‘Life in Laytonia’.
I’m sorry? You can’t see any difference? Take another look…
All right, yes, same old photo, I give you that. I was going to change it, but I don’t have the technical know-how and Ferdy, my tech man has gone AWOL – again!
Try once more…
Oh, come on. I’m getting a touch cross now. Okay, I’ll give you a clue:
“I Am Not A Number”.
Wow, there are a lot of “The Prisoner” anoraks out there – I nearly got knocked over in the rush!
But you still have no idea what I am talking about?
Okay, I’m going to have to spell it out!
This is week Number 27 of ‘Life in Laytonia’. Last week was 26. The week before 25, before that 24 and so on.
The bold and underlining of these numbers is not a subliminal ruse to draw you there in case you missed it first time round. Although the crude self-promoting marketing side of me would suggest that that is not a bad idea.
No, it is integral to the thrust of this week’s musings.
Starting with ‘Life in Laytonia’ 27 – no, correction, it’s not a number – starting with this week’s unnumbered musing, I am going to invite you in with:
A Title!
THE (ANTI) SOCIAL MEDIA, TWITTER & ME
It is so obvious. Why didn’t I think of this before?
In truth, I didn’t.
The suggestion was tweeted by a little bird, aka the distinguished award-winning journalist/writer/critic/presenter, Jaci Stephen.
I met Jaci in 1991 when she was the excellent TV critic for the London Evening Standard. She interviewed me to promote a television show that I had written and was appearing in.
With the help of Jaci’s skillfully crafted interview, my TV show – my baby – was safely delivered. Sadly, in the hands of the inept midwife/producer, it went into intensive care, never to be resuscitated.
That, however, is a story for another day. All will be told when those responsible are not around to sue me!
Jaci now lives and works in the States and we have reconnected through the better offices of Twitter.
She writes a brilliant blog: jacistephen.com and I urge you to Google it. It’s terrific!
At my request, Jaci was kind enough to take the trouble to read my stream of consciousness ramblings and passed on this simple nugget:
“You need a title, to draw people in with something a bit more personal.”
Of course! Everything has a title to draw the reader in. Sit-com episodes, newspaper articles, even letters to the editor. All the ‘Layton on Lockdown’ articles published in the Telegraph Online that spawned this blog, had titles.
How could I have been so unimaginative aka stupid?
Perhaps a more apt title this week would have been:
CAN’T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES
Fabulous blog! So well written, insightful and very entertaining. You’re not just a pretty face!
Pretty face??
You’re obviously referring to the 60’s/70’s black & white stills!!
Well done, Sir, you have demonstrated how best to use Twitter! I am enjoying dipping into the rest of your bloggery.
Ewan – frankly, I haven’t a clue how to use Twitter, I can never follow “The Thread”.
But it certainly is a useful tool for tweeting the link to my blog/column & getting discerning people like yourself to read it. Thank you!
And here’s the link again, if you feel like helping it go viral!! http://georgelayton.co.uk/blog/
It sometimes so happens that the English and the German language use the same idiom or imagery and therefore I’d say: Man sieht den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht. Another one, exclusively (as far as I know from a little research I conducted some years ago) German is: Wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus. Verbatim: As one shouts into the wood, so it echoes back out, meaning the way you treat people , they will treat you. If applied to the internet or (anti) social media, there is a negative and positive side to this. First the negative one, the danger of the so-called echo chambers, where only the own views get reflected, magnified, solidified, and never challenged. That’s by the way the reason why I liked your response to our disagreement about daylight saving time. On the other hand the phrase confirms that if your intentions are good, you will always get a likewise response. I must admit that I’ve met some wonderful people on social media, I had some great conversations and at least one really weird offer with a maybe even stranger response by me, that nevertheless resulted in a virtual friendship.
Via social media (anti or otherwise) I have reconnected with some lovely old friends and made lovely new friends – like you Danni!!
O, thank you very much. For me it is the same, there are some old friends I missed so very dearly, people, who have always been an inspiration, and this is about the only way I am able to stay connected.
I’m in agreement with you, George, regarding Social Media. I cannot get to grips with Twitter at all. Following the “thread”, as you say, is very difficult. I’m uncertain whether I am reading a retweeted post or a post from the person on whose Twitter feed it is published. After being on Twitter for a couple of months (and being directed here to your blog) I came off it completely.
I think there are a lot of well known people who also find it difficult. They have experts to do it for them, I’m sure. There’s no way a busy and successful person could possibly find the time to update, read, post, re-post and monitor Twitter. Let alone every other platform.
Quite proud of the fact I am no longer on Twitter and that I have also avoided Facebook (similarly complex), Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and anything else of a similar type, I also realise that I am somewhat invisible. Try and Google my name and you’ll find…nothing. If I was 40 years younger and setting out on life’s journey, I can see this would be a problem for me. At 60 years young, not so. Yet for me, life really is just beginning but without the need to constantly view and review my phone and computer feeds, for I have none.
So, George, using these platforms to feed your site by directing readers to a place where you can be found is the way for us to survive in this jungle of tweets, retweets, likes, misinformation, fakery, pop up adverts and emojis.
I’m going back to 1971 now in the Time Machine which I bought with my Green Shield Stamps. It’s so much simpler back there. I think you are hiding there, too, sometimes.
Thanks for another enjoyable read. Much appreciated, as ever.