Of Unintended Consequences

I have been off twitter for a while. Here’s a brief summary of what happened: At first I had been super busy this weekend so I didn’t post for a full day (I think) and the usual “where’s roqzee?” was popping up from a few ardent followers. Usually, I would either just post something or ignore it till I can respond.; A particular follower who I had interacted with in the DM, primarily from processing a past winning, also asked why I had been quiet and not as active as usual. My general response was that I had a life outside twitter and was surprised that most of you think I am a twitterholic. He replies that he does think I am a twitterholic and that he is certain I cannot resist giving a hot take on topics that are important to me when they pop up.

Now, all of this was done in good humour and his intention, like others, was simply to confirm that i was doing okay and would return soon. That’s a really good intention, isn’t it? The problem with good intentions is that it does not stave away bad consequences. In law we often say that you take your victim as you find them – also known as “The Eggshell Skull” principle; this largely means that even if your action usually would not lead to the extent of damage complained about, the fact that your victim already had underlying issues that exarcebates the consequences, you are still responsible for it.

In this case I had already been thinking about what the appeal for twitter was again. Most of my old followers have thankfully grown up and stopped needing as much support, ENDSARS had impacted the faith we had in the change effect of the platform, and Raufulai’s silencing has made the entire thing cumbersome. What was supposed to be love and light has become Biafra versus Yoruba Nation vs Boko Haram, day in and day out. Things are now so expensive that we can’t even run usual impactful give aways without delivery cost killing us and dissuading me. The reach is simply not enough to make spending all this time on that app worth it.

And so, what was intended as good natured assessment of my addiction to the app, became a challenge to prove to you all that contrary to popular belief, I actually force myself to make time for my friends on Twitter in spite of my crazy busy schedule, as against the perception that I was addicted and couldn’t resist it. And so I took up the dare and told him I would prove his theory wrong by staying off Twitter till Friday 24 September 2021. What however happened now is that the break has deepened my perspective that Twitter has run its course for me and has lost its initial meaning so I can scale back without guilt. In a way, it validated the fact that the world would continue without me on the platform and my sense of self importance was greatly exaggerated. Its like tasting peace and now liking it too much. A consequence unintended by the gentleman, but a welcome one still.

I guess the lesson is that one needs to be careful what they say to people, even in fun, as you have no idea what mental space they are in at that time, and what can tip them over the edge. For when that happens, your intentions are usually not enough.