What do you see on Twitter?

Since 2007 or 2008 when I first created my Twitter account, I have expressed countless times my high opinion of the website.  For the most part, YOU control the content that you receive.  With as few or as many clicks as you desire, you can fill your feed with constant updates of positive, encouraging messages, or pertinent and updated information about your field of work or profession.  You can follow along as your favorite sports team advances through the season, or relate to other fans’ astonishment when a certain series kills off your favorite character… that’s right @PBS … I’m talking to you!  With a few follows, you can connect with causes that you are passionate about.  You can learn about what is going on in the far corners of the world, or in the case of @MarsCuriosity, you can explore another WORLD altogether!

If used properly, social media can uplift you, inform you, and connect you to various resources.  That is a good thing.

However, the new layout design that Twitter has switched to, may unintentionally be disturbing to some readers.  Previously, you had the option to expand someone’s post when it included a photo.  Usually from the text posted or hashtags used, you had an idea of what the image contained.  Now, for many photos, you automatically view a band that runs across the midsection of the photo. On Facebook, you even have the option of removing a post from your feed.

At first glance, I thought it was great, and as a photographer, I liked that I could grab a viewers attention with a visual.

As yesterday’s acts of violence unfolded at LAX, I started to reevaluate how I felt about that 481 x 241 pixel rectangle.

When tragedies strike, Twitter fills with firsthand and second hand accounts, tweets and retweets.  It is fluid and rapid flow of information, some accurate, some speculative.  Again, it can be an important tool to receive up to date information. I noticed yesterday that even CNN had at the top of their site, “Breaking News: LA FireDepartment tweets that it is assisting….” Twitter IS important during these tragedies.

More and more frequently, though, people are also using their phones to take photos or video of what is going on at the scene, and sometimes those images are jarring, or upsetting.  I’m not saying that there isn’t importance in documenting important events, but I am pointing out the fact that these images, when posted directly or retweeted into someone’s Twitter feed, can have unintended consequences.

I am passionate about connecting mental health resources to service members, veterans and family members that may be suffering from prolonged stress and / or PTSD.   For some, this includes avoidance issues with violence, death, or tragedies.  Social media can be an extremely important tool to connect those with invaluable resources, crisis line telephone numbers, support groups or even self evaluations.

When tragic events like this unfold, unfortunately, with some regularity in our country, the images, personal accounts and sounds can trigger intense reactions to those that suffer from PTSD.  Instead of being a place to find tools to help, especially if those that suffer have found themselves disrupted during a tragedy, the loss of control over what images enter one’s feed can even be harmful.  In Facebook, you at least have the ability to close a particular post from your viewable feed.

So, before you post or retweet a photo on Twitter, just pause long enough to think about the unintended consequences… I know that I will.