Apparently, this blog is a massive influence over at Twitter. Much more than any post I make on Twitter is. Since I posted here about my problems logging onto Twitter, they have stopped completely. With this single data-point, which is most likely coincidental, I will assume that I am in control of everything over there. So, here are two things I would do to make Twitter better.

The Divine Duality is the fact that we all are free willed individuals who are inextricably part of a greater whole. And that greater whole occurs at many different unique levels. That is, we are all free willed individuals who are also a part of a family, a town, a state, a nation, and the human race. We cannot remove ourselves from any of these levels, but we can choose how much we engage at each level. The trick is, the more we choose to engage at a level of individuality, The Sate for example, the more we must accept and abide by the rules of that level. To be a lawyer, a person must abide by the rules The State has for lawyers. Even people who are known to have changed the way we see and do things have almost always started out following the rules of that community.

We recognize that social media sites are unique ecosystems, but there have been problems with how people engage. Those problems stem from the fact that everyone in the ecosystem is identified equally. (Identified equally, not treated equally. People should always be treated equally.) This causes unnecessary and excessive competition as people fight for attention. The knee jerk solutions have all been heavy handed and clumsy. The blue check on Twitter, by itself, only creates a feudal “haves vs have-nots” conflict: a mirror image of our political and economic systems. And, typically, this conflict grows worse within each camp instead of in between camps. Utterly antiquated.

It is my view, that social media sites need to create a means for people to display their individual choice of how they will engage the ecosystem more clearly. For example, a comedian might choose to use Twitter only as an extension of their professional persona, so giving them the ability to clearly display that choice, at a single glance, will change how other people react to their posts, as well as reinforce the comedian’s discipline in how they engage.

To get this unique mark, a person would have to agree to certain terms and conditions defined by the social media site. Terms and conditions that would reinforce a sense of liability, responsibility, and authenticity (even if it is not much different from any other user). I think this would have a huge effect on engagement.

Another unique mark would be for journalists. People who wish to identify themselves as journalists would have to have a website of their own and agree to abide by the rules Twitter had for journalists. Mostly that they would have to take full responsibility for their work, must be clear when giving commentary or factual data, and anything they posted on Twitter would have to be supported on their website.

There could be a separate mark for a Licensed Professional. And in the act of clicking the buttons and doing the thing that got a person the Licensed Professional mark, such as giving license number and issuer that would appear in profile, there would be the legal liability that comes with being fraudulent.

It wouldn’t need to be too many different marks, or colored checks. Journalist, Professional Persona (entertainer), Licensed Professional, and Politician is where I would start. (I would begin with an easy one, like the Professional Persona of an entertainer or artist, to show people how it would work.)

The second thing I would do would probably receive much more anger and criticism than the first. I would publish an online grammar and composition style guide, in one form or another, focused on general social media use. Nothing people were obligated to follow, but something that gave them an idea of ideal mature composition and interaction on the platform. Kind of like the British Royal Family in its best incarnation; a representation of an ideal British Family. I think it would be surprising how many would appreciate a little guidance in such things. Especially as they are not really taught in schools anymore.