Alex's rules for microblogging

I am, much to my chagrin, on Twitter. I first joined Twitter in 2011. I deleted my account in 2020 and started posting again in about May of this year, to "develop my writing career."

I tend to have what may be anachronistic attitudes toward how people ought to conduct themselves in public discourse. Toward this end, I have come up with a set of rules that I try to follow when posting online. I don't follow them consistently. These rules help me stay sane in an environment deeply hostile toward one's sanity (microblogging platforms).

• Follow the four gates of speech: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it helpful? Is it kind?
• Use only plain-text posts, no images, no quote tweets. Links are acceptable only as links to longer-form things I have written.
• Keep in mind a broad audience, and try not to alienate people by posting things that are hostile toward a kind of person who may follow you.
• Do not comment on the "topic of the day." Comment instead on things that you are personally interested in, regardless of their popularity.
• Try to refrain from using "internet speak" and platform-specific slang terms.
• Do not argue, especially about politics.

Immanuel Kant believed that morality could be derived purely through reason. With reason as our ground, we can then be confident in our moral judgment, which becomes universally and absolutely binding. This is probably not entirely right, but I do think there is value in acting on the basis of principles that one has, through careful consideration, determined to be good, rather than social convention or personal proclivity.