Danny Baker’s downfall shows trap of Twitter - GP Taylor

I had to post one thing every day and build up my followers. It had to be witty or informative and give the reader an insight into my life to help sell books. With 500 million Twitter accounts out there, it is a valuable marketing tool. The little blue bird has become a major player in global conversations.

I tried and tried, but never seemed to get the hang of writing 140 characters of witty insight. Instead I would take a picture of my breakfast. One thing I knew was to avoid putting up anything offensive.

But within weeks and despite my approach to the platform, I found that the Twitterverse is a place inhabited by some very strange and nasty people.

Just one appearance on breakfast TV talking about books had me trending on Twitter. Then the abuse started. One fellow author advocated that people should troll me until my head exploded and they did. The messages were quite vile and offensive, but I soldiered on with Twitter.

One thing became very clear, this type of social media is a place for people who have a view on everything. It is a much-loved app by celebrities who give their adoring fans a glimpse of their star-studded lives. Frighteningly, Twitter can be very addictive. There is always the desire to comment on everything and this is when problems happen.

I can never understand why someone who is a singer or actor feels they have the right to pontificate on politics even if they have 15 million followers. Why do they think the public would be interested in what they think on global warming, the Royal Family or Brexit? Yet, the tweets still keep coming, then eventually they type something that brings them down. The list of casualties grows longer each week. Monkey pictures, homophobic comments and long-forgotten racist tweets raise their heads. Careers are ended and contracts withdrawn for 140 letters of stupidity.

Sadly, it seems that many of our TV and radio favourites cannot resist the daily tweet. Like lesser mortals they often go that extra mile, some hungry for publicity and others just stupid.

They become keyboard warriors in subjects they know little about and should keep their mouths firmly shut. Social media may be seen by some as a career enhancer, but in reality, it is like dangling naked over a pond of piranhas.

For many celebrities, it seems that Twitter is a big part of their fame and they have to be accessible to their fans. Why?

In the last week, radio DJ Danny Baker lost his job for posting a ridiculous picture. I believe he meant no harm, but he lost his job. An Emmerdale starlet had her contract stopped when an old tweet surfaced. But meanwhile, Ed Sheeran gave up Twitter as he wanted to see the world through his own eyes and not through a screen. Emma Watson said she doesn’t read social media comments for the sake of her sanity. How right she is.

All it takes is one word out of place and then the mob attack. Believe me, being trolled is not a nice experience. These people are vicious and will stop at nothing to bring you down. Once they have their teeth into you they will go from platform to platform across social media and twist the knife wherever they can. Like the cowards they are, they hide behind pen names, afraid to be held to account for the words they use and the lives they try to wreck.

However, it is not just trolls that are a social media danger, there is the format itself. Apps such as Twitter are popular because they put people in touch instantly. Human beings are nosey by nature and we all love a bit of gossip and a twitch of the curtains. Twitter provides this at the touch of a button. Neighbours, friends, soap stars can all be followed without the guilt of voyeurism.

The danger with this is that it can cause anxiety, especially for those who suffer with any mental health issues. There is the fear of missing out when we see friends having a great time, buying a new car or going on holiday, whilst you sit in your kitchen sobbing over the telephone bill.

Social media can exacerbate our inner fears as we wonder why nobody has liked our pictures or commented on a post. I firmly believe our minds cannot handle this instant intimacy and data overload. We just aren’t meant to do it and many people are already addicted. Just look around you in the street to see how many people walking by are staring at their phones.

Last week I watched a group of foreign exchange students standing outside one of my town’s most historic buildings. For the whole time, each one was staring at their phone. They were surrounded by beauty and yet their world was inside a phone screen. In great Whitby style, they were only woken from their electric reverie by the seagull that pooped all over them.

GP Taylor is a writer and broadcaster from North Yorkshire.