Navel gazing versus observing on Twitter
Oversharers that we are, Twitter has been asking us "What are you doing?" and we have responded with statements, squeezed into that little box. I don't like having my personality squeezed so. And so I have opted to update my status on Facebook (or both Twitter and FB when I remember) and blog here where people can't tell me to "zip it, lady" part way through a post. Whatever. I feel like a performer who gets really bad stage fright and have found my happy place where I can perform without the self-doubt. When I have time.
Well, that Twitter question, in my opinion, has encouraged a lot of mundane over-sharing: "I'm ordering pie"...."the traffic is making me mad"....zzzz. The answer to the question is usually an action and it can be a little boring because most of us don't really live a life of international mystery and 24x7 entertainment. So people dig, out of a desire to be part of the community, and sometimes what we get is "I'm ordering pie." I know, I am a harsh update critic. I get it. And I don't have anything against pie. I love pie.
So if the question of "what are you doing?" encourages a singular response about doing, "what's happening?" suggests that watching is good too. It's not a total departure from "What are you doing?" but there is something about the language that suggests more. Helps people get away from the "I am drinking a latte" and closer toward "I am wondering if Travis Stork would marry me if I let him perform dangerous medical experiments on me" and "101 pairs of mom jeans in line to get into New Moon." What am I doing? That's a little limiting. But What's Happening? Well....a lot. A lot is happening. A lot of things more interesting than what I am doing.