Per usual, I have lots to say.
Well first things first, stilettoroyalty is a bad ass. That girl is BRAVE. I admire her so much the way she speaks her mind & stands up for what she believes in, haters be damned. She exudes confidence and takes shit from no one...not even Stephen Amell. She's also one of the funniest people I've met on Tumblr. The Olicity fandom & Arrow fandom is lucky to have her. And the world needs more women like Anetris.
What I love about her response was that it was tough, she didn't shy away from the issue, but remained respectful. That's a tough line to toe my friends and she did it with class. She also managed to get an apology (FYI...that's what his second comment was) AND forced him to clarify his comment.
I'm new to Twitter. It's far more fast paced than either Tumblr or Facebook. There is an immediacy to it. I haven't run into much vitriol yet, but I even find myself feistier than usual on Twitter. Why? Brevity is a bitch. 140 word limit, you gotta make your damn point and make it short. That doesn't leave a lot of room for flowery words, fluffy adjectives or for that matter...detailed explanation of thought. You say what you gotta say and you hit enter.
Is what Stephen saying accurate? Sure it is. I'm sure there's just plenty of vitriol on his Twitter feed. And yes, the Internet provides anonymity so people don't take responsibility for what they say in the same way if they are standing in front a human being. That's not a Twitter problem, that's an INTERNET problem.
What I particularity enjoy about Twitter, other than chatting with friends about our favorite show, is the opportunity to have a DIRECT conversation with either an actor/actress or the writers. To have Marc Guggenheim answer a question? That's thrilling. An actor favorites your tweet? Mind blown. It's as close as any of us will ever get to talking to the creative minds behind this show and it's amazing.
Twitter is also one of the larger social media tools that networks are using to measure/track a show's success. It's used in combination with the Nielson data. This is no little thing. Shows with low ratings have been saved because the social media response, TWITTER, is huge. If you are not a Nielson family (which is a beyond antiquated system) Twitter and live tweeting is the next best thing to to actually impact your show's success.
Is it a fad? Maybe, maybe not. Isn't all technology a fad? Five years later it all becomes obsolete for the next big thing or the updated version. Myspace gave way to Facebook. Now it's Tumblr and Twitter. Instagram, Vine..honestly, I can't keep up with how many different accounts and social media platforms these celebrities have.
From Stephen's perspective, I can understand why he doesn't like Twitter. I follow his Facebook closely. Facebook is slower paced and given the popularity of his page, the amount of likes makes it very easy for Stephen to wade through the masses & figure out what's important to people, what's interesting and what he should comment on.
It's also a very effective marketing tool for his charity work, which is a good chunk of what the page is for. Stephen manages it himself, no PR rep, and quite frankly (speaking from a Marketing background) he's done a great job. He keeps a tight rein on things. It's basically fan art, Q&As, merchandising/auctions, funny photos/Arrow stories, spoilers and charity information. Has there been the occasional fuck up? Sure. But they've been few & far between and he handles them with grace and more class than most PR agencies would.
Twitter is just a different beast. It's more difficult to filter messages, manage and wade through the masses. It's less about Stephen decimating information and more about information coming at Stephen. Which...eh. It might not be his cup of tea and that's totally fine.
But what Anetris is saying is 100% right. We are the fans. We have a right to comment on the show, the characters and the plot lines. If we don't like something...we are damn well going to say it. Arrow is a product that they are selling to us. Our viewership is making everyone on Arrow, including Stephen Amell, A LOT of money. There is a give & take to that. It affords us the right to tell the writers and actors what we enjoy and don't enjoy about the show. Hopefully its polite, but hey...you know what? When you are invested in characters & a TV show and it's not going in a direction you like, that's incredibly frustrating. Humanity is humanity and when people are frustrated & angry they are going to say frustrated & angry things. Especially with a 140 character word limit. Arrow is a product and sometimes...we ain't buying it. Audience members are CONSUMERS. And consumers provide feedback.
Feedback is not all bad. In fact, it's very very good. If something isn't popular or not working or confusing, the writers can find out almost immediately and FIX IT. Creativity and an overall vision is important in TV, but so is keeping your audience engaged and happy. Twitter is a fabulous way to meet both ends of that spectrum.
Bottom line? Anetris is right. Can't stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen.
But I don't think Stephen was truly referencing CHARACTER feedback or show feedback. I believe Stephen when he says he invites criticism because quite frankly, I've seen him do it in interviews and on his Facebook page. I don't think show criticism is what he was talking about.
So let's talk about what his real beef is. Cruelty. To me? That's a Katie Cassidy remark. For whatever reason, Katie Cassidy gets a lot of hate. For the most part, it's unwarranted, and the lines between reality and fiction get blurred. The issue is Laurel Lance and not Katie Cassidy. Laurel Lance is the most problematic character with significant screen time. Those problems created a dislike for the character, plain and simple. Does KC say stuff that I disagree with? Absolutely. But so do a lot of celebrities. Doesn't mean she should get death threats. Given the immediacy & brevity of Twitter I can understand how Stephen might see more of it on that platform. I can also understand that he has a friendship with Katie and that's got to be frustrating and would understandably sour his opinion of Twitter. Do I know for certain that his "anonymity breeds cyber bravery" comment is about Katie Cassidy? No. It's an educated guess, but I think it's a good one.
My issue with his issue is he's saying cruelty on the Internet is limited to Twitter which is bullshit. The Internet is the wild wild west. It's everywhere. On every platform and every social media. Including Facebook.
Now, to comment on Stephen's Facebook page...you have to like the Facebook page. Which means...people can see YOUR Facebook page. Unless you've got some tight security, the minute you comment...anyone can see your personal Facebook page. Facebook, unlike Twitter, is a much more personally informative platform. I've got photos of my daughter on mine, my family. Everything you want to know about me is on my Facebook page. That's why I never comment on SA's page. Now, you could make a separate page and some people do...but most don't.
So when someone is an asshole on Stephen's page, there's less anonymity to it than Twitter. Which results in a bit more ownership & responsibility to whatever is said. Does it remove the issue? Hello no. But there is more anonymity on Twitter and that's just a fact.
Bottom line? Stephen is well in his rights to not like Twitter and to comment on such. Anetris is well within her rights to disagree. Each party was polite, respectful and classy. Isn't it great when we all play nice? ;)
If Stephen Amell stops using Twitter, Twitter will survive. The Arrow fandom will survive. Twitter will still be a useful tool to provide show feedback and impact ratings...with or without Stephen Amell.
