Another good article (Tks Deb!) by Doc Bastard
http://docbastard.blogspot.com/Up until a few weeks ago, I thought Twitter was the stupidest idea ever. Microblogging? Really?? Think about it, what can you really say in 140 characters or less? As it is, you can barely get one idea through. Then if you start responding to multiple people, your ability to communicate is even more limited. And if you dare use hashtags, your character count dwindles to near zero, and you have resort to things like saying "u" or "ppl". I'd rather stick hot pokers in my genitals than say "u".
Regardless, having engaged in several Twitter brawls (a few still ongoing), I can definitively say that Twitter is, in fact, the stupidest idea ever. Yet I find myself continuing to try to argue with (and educate) several ignorant individuals who, for reasons known only to them, seem hell-bent not only on ignoring facts and ethics but also on denying science. But arguing on Twitter is next-to-impossible, partly because of the character limit. But the main reason is that anyone can get a Twitter account, especially people whose sole intent is to malign, abuse, and insult. And as I've seen firsthand, 140 characters is plenty when your goal is either to foment mischief, spread malinformation, or both.
Having said that, I'd like to use this opportunity to expound some of what I've said while trying (in 140 characters or less) to battle the nonsense I've come across on Twitter and comment threads on the various Jahi McMath stories I've read. Which is pretty much all of them.