Unsocial Media
I'm not going to pretend the last several years on Twitter have been an illusion. I stand by what I've said in the past. The evidence is in everyone's timeline; Some are far more vocal and appear to pursue validation with their predictions of failure more so than the polar opposite with positivity. That isn't to say there are Spurs fans that want Spurs to lose just so they can be proved right. But they do revel in being able to do just that post-defeat.
There has always been a sub-culture that pertains to avoidance of losing face. No shocker considering the platform is built on egos. Some are far more comfortable with disparagement. They struggle to give credit and when they do so, it's awkward and begrudging. Or they make a big deal out of it, as though it's validating they're capable of balance. Others like to sit on the fence seeking a middle ground. Then there's users that worship their faith blindly. It's a cauldron of the very worst of reactionary thoughts. Hence why it's so volatile. It's like this because there is no true filter. You don't stop to mull it over, you instantly share via keyboard. It's the reason why all of us (on all sides) tend to 'fight' against each other. We're basically arguing over how we all choose to process our opinions. It's crazy but that's part of how social media works. You're laying yourself bare naked and then making sure you don't get burnt for it. It's raw, it's cutting and it can be nasty.
To avoid losing face, the default stance is to always be positioned defensively, waiting to see how it pans out, perpetually discouraged about everything. A strange paradox that seems to always harbour negative expectancy yet still demand the moon on a stick. So you state you have no faith in X, then consolidate it when X fails. Rinse and repeat.
There is no right or wrong way to support your club but this isn't about fandom. It's all very particular, with its 140 characters accompanied by directs and in-directs. It's undeniably a digital reality show where we evict ourselves if we so wish (either by deactivating or getting yourself banned). I'm not advocating all out hippy love and zero criticism. I never have but apparently if you're not overly dismissive and pessimistic then you're a melt, a happy clapper that over-rates everything, lost in the midst of giddy lust. Considering how politics and even pop culture fragments into two sides, I no longer believe any of this has to do with being Spurs. The human trait here is to take one of two sides and then target the other group to validate your opinion, usually tooled up with shots of ridicule. Mug someone else off whilst you make yourself look good, knowing the usual suspects will pat you on the back deservedly in one all-mighty circle jerk. Rinse and repeat.
Social media is predominantly made up of people that choose to be angry or spiteful or looking to shout down people that have a conflicting viewpoint because it's the most expressive and easily accessed emotion. Why stand on a soap box when you can smash someones head with it instead? This leads into something far more ugly. It's one thing if you're getting yourself involved with the semantics of how you wish to stick your point across. It's altogether a different beast if you're sat there calling people c**ts from afar when you'd never approach the person and say it to their face. Like a pack of wolves, all howling at the moon together.
I hate that talking about this makes me part of the problem.
The cruel twist (in terms of the football) is that all of us want Spurs to do well. How we go about processing it, is all too often a bloody overly sensitive mess. A battle of bastards playing out, where in its conclusion someone always ends up being fed to the dogs. A pompous and perpetual them versus us, where both sides accuse the others of elitism. There is simply no escaping the taint of hypocrisy. Twitter is eating itself, regurgitating, then eating again. I can see it getting far worse in the season ahead.