Think before you tweet

This was posted on  Sep 12, 2011, before Instagram became the medium of the moment. 

Do you think before you tweet? Do I?

The ever-changing universe of mass communications – some still call it journalism – is well documented. Information must be disseminated immediately, and Twitter appears to be the medium of the moment. All the news fit to print in 140 characters.

This makes some sense in life and death matters: natural disasters, acts of terror, although in critical situations, errors are serious. It’s useful in practical matters: traffic and weather, for instance.

In fashion, it is a novelty, a caprice, an entertainment, and I do it, too.

Back in the day, I would spend all night in a hotel room on the Rue St. Roch in Paris, editing film from the shows. I studied each pose with a loop on a small lightboard for the placement of feet, the fall of the dress, the expression on the model’s face.

Now, along with the rest of the hall at Bonsecours Market at Montreal Fashion Week, I send out blurry pictures of looks I like – or dislike – and often misspell a name. There is barely time to view the collections, let alone reflect.

Does the world (my small number of followers, actually) need to know so quickly that Anastasia Lomonova offered a great blend of art and wearability, that I misspelled her name?

Fashion, of course, is not a life or death matter. But it is bread and butter for struggling designers.

Luckily, there is little critical thought on Twitter; it’s mainly cheerleading and links to photos or blogs.

Now, I am sitting down to reflect, write my reviews, assess the trends, and offer newspaper readers a selection of tweets.