Conversations or Confrontations

When Tweeter first caught the fancy of netizens, many quickly subscribed to the idea of sharing the most trivial, mundane things about life and the world in 140 characters or less. Whether one was drinking coffee at Starbucks, waiting for a SIA flight or going to bed after watching ”CSI New York”, tweetizens were sharing posts and messages that made the microblogging site a growing phenomena. Many celebrities welcomed Twitter as a promotional medium that kept fans updated of their personal and professional lives. It was fun and quick way to communicate with fans. A novelty.

But today, tweets have gone beyond conversation of one to the world. It has become a battleground. Many celebrities and personalities to are losing control of their emotions and letting go of rants and angst against friend, foe or even fans.

Many of us remember Demi Moore from the classic movie, “Ghost” and even "St. Elmo's Fire," "A Few Good Men" and Charlie’s Angels.” And her famous cover in "Vanity Fair" when she was pregnant! Through Tweeter, she has called out for help, in behalf of the victims of Tyhoon Ondoy. Other celebrities who have appealed for help include Ricky Martin, Josh Groban, Allysa Milano and even Paris Hilton.

These days, she speaks her mind out against gossip blogger Perez Hilton who has criticized her about her parenting skills.

Remember Kanye West stealing the limelight from Taylor Swift during the MTV Video Music Awards. He received angry tweets and blog postings from other celebrities and fans.

Last March, Mark Cuban was fined UD$25K by the NBA after he questioned and tweeted about officiating.



Microblogging sites is changing the communicatons landscape. And presents a challenge for communications practitioners who work with celebrities and personalities who use this technology to express rant and rage. It is like a gun, lock and loaded with 140 characters, that celebrities with little or no control over the emotions can fire at anytime, in real time, 24/7 across twitterverse.


Celebrities need to exercise restraint in social media, specially, since they have an image and reputation to protect and maintain. Picking up a fight on Tweeter is more dangerous. It will only serve to aggravate any grievance or grudge. And chances, it gets you coverage on CNN and E News. But isn’t that really bad publicity. Do remember what T. Scott Fitzgerald said, "You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say."

Tweets have really changed how people communicate. Still, despite changing technology, wouldn’t it be nicer to just call and talk to that person rather than hide behind our mobile devices? It is really much better to get back to old fashioned, less tech-driven face-to-face conversation. Or even a just a phone call.

Otherwise, follow Miley Cyrus who has joined the “Qweeters.” Miley leaves behind nearly 2.2 million followers, which includes her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. Now, it's back to achy, breaky, heart?