I’ve subtweeted in the past, and I know exactly what I’m doing when I type up and post that tweet to Twitter. I want someone to ask me what’s wrong and see who I’m subtweeting about. I want to bask in the attention while indirectly expressing my emotions at someone else though that’s only a little bit of my motivation for subtweeting. My subtweeting phase only lasted a little bit, and now looking back on it, I recognize the immaturity in every single subtweet.
Subtweeting is an irrational, immature way to get attention drawn to yourself and to express anger, sadness, heartbreak or annoyance towards another individual indirectly, and quite frankly, I’m sick of it.
Having the spotlight on Twitter is a great feeling. You are constantly getting attention washed upon yourself, and, at least in my experience, you love it. Getting attention on Twitter comes in a variety of ways: embarrassing photos, drawn out arguments and even subtweeting.
Subtweeting is the most routine way of getting attention. About six or seven months ago, I tweeted “I give up trying to deal with you.” That tweet was vague, but I was dealing with an emotional problem involving relationships. That tweet gave just enough insight into my problems to show something was clearly wrong and I was upset. My friends asked me what was wrong, and I received an abundance of attention within the next two to three hours. That was exactly what I wanted. I got the attention I hoped to receive from that tweet. Now, however, when I look at someone else’s subtweet, it’s extremely challenging for me to look past the true desire of the tweet: attention. I’ve noticed that other people who are at least SOMEWHAT intelligent see past the ignorant tweets and see subtweets as a desperate cry for attention. If you want someone to ask what’s wrong or console you in your darkest time, stop subtweeting and ask for their help and attention.
Subtweets are not only used to gain attention. People on Twitter subtweet to express emotions towards another individual indirectly. Sure, people still gain attention from this, but it’s a way for people to deal with problems they aren’t strong enough to face in real life. These subtweets range from heartbreak or sadness, like my own tweet to anger like “You talk crap about my family when yours is unstable?” I guarantee 95% of people who were targeted in these tweets understand that the tweet is about them. If you have issues to handle with a person, do it in person. Don’t hide behind the protective wall of your phone or laptop.
Subtweeting is an irrational and immature way of asking for attention and expressing emotion. If you have an argument that needs settling, or if you need help and attention during a hard time, don’t subtweet, just handle it outside of Twitter. Subtweeting has been around Twitter for a long time.With a brand new year, one thing to definitely leave behind in 2016 is subtweeting.
