A Twitter for help

A Twitter for help

Posted on August 26th, 2009 by Sean Cunningham

I am not a fan of Twitter. I feel that anything truly worth saying requires 200 characters at minimum. I think the fact Ashton Kutcher established himself as the F. Scott Fitzgerald of this medium suggests it is one to avoid whenever possible. I do concede, however, it’s possible it saved a life. This week Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat checked into a rehabiliation hospital to deal with “possible substance and psychological issues.” Before this, he hinted at his problems with Twitters including, “Feelin like it’s not worth livin!!!!!!! I’m done.” Did someone close to him see these Twitters? Did just typing out his thoughts help Beasley realize how desperate he was? Did he originally consider using only six exclamation points but then added a seventh to be on the safe side?

I believe Beasley has a bright future ahead of him. He isn’t the first 20-year-old to feel overwhelmed by life, and most of them hadn’t completed a single year of college before being flung into a job that pays roughly five million a year. While I doubt he’ll ever be a superstar, he has the talent to have a solid career for a long time. I’m particularly glad he got help on his own, not because an arrest forced his hand. If Twitter is responsible for helping him through a dark time, great.

Yet isn’t there something disturbing about the fact Beasley (and, I suspect, a lot of folks like him) don’t feel comfortable reaching out to a friend or a family member or a business associate or spiritual leader or a therapist, but will open up to a large group of people they don’t know who will receive their cry from the heart at roughly the same time they discover the bakery next door “Just put out a hot new batch of chocolate chip cookies!!!!” Taking things to their logical extreme, has there been a suicide Twitter yet? Has some despairing spirit chosen this as their final attempt to reach the world? Did they pour their souls out, only to have to edit much of their pain as a result of exceeding that 140 character limit? Point to ponder as we await the next Internet sensation that further connects and totally cuts us off from each other.

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