Entering into my sophomore year of college, I am still surprised that subtweeting remains a common trend on my feed. General tweets regarding an annoying professor, or tweets about people who take their shoes off in public transportation aren’t the issue. It’s the spiteful tweets that target one person, with the intention of causing harm, that the world could do without. So here is a step-by-step guide to avoid the nasty habit, and to channel your energy into more beneficial activities!
1. Retweet cute animal videos
Instead of enriching your twitter feed with scornful passive aggressiveness, fill your twitter with animal videos that will be sure to cheer you up. No one ever got upset over two otters holding hands.
2. Write out your feelings
Between Facebook squabbles and ignorant Youtube comments, do we really need anymore hatred and negative energy floating around the internet? Take time to write out your feelings in a journal. Bonus: journals won’t limit you to 140 characters!
3. Go for a walk
Take some much needed time off from “confronting” someone behind the computer/phone screen and get some exercise. Go for a stroll, and observe the beautiful nature around you. You will hopefully be reminded that there are better things in life than pestering someone online.
4. Confide in a friend
Whoever that friend may be, whether it’s your roommate, your parents, or your dog, it will feel much more comforting voicing your frustrations to someone in front of you rather than the blank, vast space of the internet. Sure, you may get some sympathy likes or retweets that make your problems feel more relatable to others, but in the end it’s as worthwhile talking to a wall, and just brews up more unnecessary tension.
5. Remember you’re not 12 years old
Subtweeting, as harmless as it may seem, is still considered a form of cyberbullying. The days of Vaguebooking (cyberbullying through Facebook) are left in the past with middle school drama, so why is this form of textual harassment still popular amongst high-schoolers and college students? It’s professional to refrain from leaving a hateful digital footprint online, especially if your future career is something you care about.