Fashion designer Alexander McQueen died today and a selection of his final Twitter posts were published on the Wall Street Journal blog. The article has set me thinking more about my own public-ness (ironic to consider this on my public blog?).
Instinctively I feel that I don't want my Twitter feed to speak for me in my final moments of life (or after my final moments). I imagine my friends and family and even my professional work would speak more descriptively to my life. I recognize that the written word has always outlived the writer--and in a way that, previously, impressed me more than intimidated me. This leads me to be thoughtful about my reaction of hesitation towards Twitter.
Its worth considering what and where differences exist between the digital publishing age, when we can publish ourselves without the eye of the editor and the (paper) printed age- especially as I continue to expand my public presence as a journalist, as a public radio employee and just as a young person living in these times.
The WSJ article's selected McQueen tweets were quite moving and expressive but the ideas the article inspired continue to rotate, flop, drop and twist around in the dryer of my mind.
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By WSJ Staff
After it was announced Thursday that Alexander McQueen had died, the designer’s Twitter feed was removed, on which he revealed on Feb. 3 that his mother passed away the day before. A few days later he said, “Sunday evening been an F—-g awful week but my friends have been great, but now I have to some how [sic] pull myself together and finish with the…”
On Feb. 1, a couple of weeks after his Fall 2010 menswear show, he posted, “From heaven to hell and back again, life is a funny thing. Beauty can come from the most strangest of places even the most disgusting places.” A few minutes later, he posted: “Why people ignore the ugly things in life but within this they are missing the beauty that lies under the rotten fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!”
On Feb. 3, he tweeted that his mother had passed away the day before. “RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,” he said. And a few minutes later: “But life must go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
His last tweet, sometime after Feb. 7, said: “I’m here with my girl Annie Tinkerbell wishing Kerry the slag, happy birthday in NY, your [sic] 40 now girl time to slow it down we think.”
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Instinctively I feel that I don't want my Twitter feed to speak for me in my final moments of life (or after my final moments). I imagine my friends and family and even my professional work would speak more descriptively to my life. I recognize that the written word has always outlived the writer--and in a way that, previously, impressed me more than intimidated me. This leads me to be thoughtful about my reaction of hesitation towards Twitter.
Its worth considering what and where differences exist between the digital publishing age, when we can publish ourselves without the eye of the editor and the (paper) printed age- especially as I continue to expand my public presence as a journalist, as a public radio employee and just as a young person living in these times.
The WSJ article's selected McQueen tweets were quite moving and expressive but the ideas the article inspired continue to rotate, flop, drop and twist around in the dryer of my mind.
-----------------------------------
By WSJ Staff
After it was announced Thursday that Alexander McQueen had died, the designer’s Twitter feed was removed, on which he revealed on Feb. 3 that his mother passed away the day before. A few days later he said, “Sunday evening been an F—-g awful week but my friends have been great, but now I have to some how [sic] pull myself together and finish with the…”
On Feb. 1, a couple of weeks after his Fall 2010 menswear show, he posted, “From heaven to hell and back again, life is a funny thing. Beauty can come from the most strangest of places even the most disgusting places.” A few minutes later, he posted: “Why people ignore the ugly things in life but within this they are missing the beauty that lies under the rotten fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!”
On Feb. 3, he tweeted that his mother had passed away the day before. “RIP mumxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,” he said. And a few minutes later: “But life must go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
His last tweet, sometime after Feb. 7, said: “I’m here with my girl Annie Tinkerbell wishing Kerry the slag, happy birthday in NY, your [sic] 40 now girl time to slow it down we think.”
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