Stephen Fry contemplates Twittercide

For those of us who know who Stephen Fry is, know that he is an incredible talent, be it for his brilliant humor, (BlackAdder, Jeeves and Wooster, A bit of Fry and Laurie) his stunning command of the English language (he studied English at Cambridge University together with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson) and his ability to master and amass a huge fan base using the latest communication craze -Twitter.

Throughout his life he has suffered with serious bouts of depression, self doubt, come to terms with being gay ( very much the underlying theme in the movie Peter’s Friends) and yet for a giant of a man ( 6ft 4 ) is such a gentle soul that he has a hard time dealing with, or rather coping with, his legion of Twitter fans, all one million + of them.

Recently he was in the news stating that he would no longer be using Twitter, stating that he could no longer deal with some of the hate tweets he would receive. A decision known as Twittercide.

“I would not say that I lost faith in Twitter, I would say that I lost faith in my ability to negotiate it,” Fry said at a social media conference, attended by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in London yesterday.

But Fry was also referring to blogs in general . “Of all the stinking, sliding, scuttling, weird, entomological creatures that inhabit the floor of the internet those comments on blogs are the most unbearable, almost beyond imagining,” he recalled with regard to his since changed decision to stop tweeting.

In my humble opinion Fry is coming to terms with the darker side of human nature, where hatred and bigotry is now guaranteed the gift of immediacy and anonymity that the internet provides. In person would be totally unacceptable and in many cases illegal (incitement to religious hatred for example), but someone tapping away at his computer from anywhere on planet earth can spew the worst that humanity has to offer.

The internet is changing. It is no longer just a place to find information, it has now morphed into the next phase of its evolution; namely, real time communication. The mudslinging and war mongering is picking up speed as different hate groups and individuals look to safeguard their prejudices and belief systems.

I am glad that Stephen has decided to continue tweeting. The virtual world needs more ambassadors like him. Hiding is not an option. Facing the enemy and informing those on the sidelines is a job that Fry did not ask for, but has been thrust upon him by his legion of fans and bigots alike.