Why Is Everyone on Twitter So Maddeningly Positive?

It's so hard to start a good fight on Twitter. Praise someone effusively, it gets "re-tweeted" endlessly, while nice juicy feuds get smothered in the crib. Every Twitter user is president of his own fraternity. How stale!

Thankfully this is starting to annoy some people. Ad man Edward Boches wonders if "instead of simply echoing each other's sentiments about the awesomeness of community... we should have a few more disagreements." Yes, yes you should! Marketing pundit Bob Knorpp called for a rougher approach to the Twitter circle jerk: "If we're among friends, we tend to fall into certain patterns... we're not pushing their comfort zone."

Twitter Inc. would no doubt point to a paucity of trolls as one of its defining features, and the microblogging service's powerful social mores tame the internet in a way prim critics like the New York Times' Randy Cohen have advocated. But a flood of positivity can be just as pernicious as a wave of nastiness, as anyone on the unhappy side of a viral marketing campaign, spammy follower or self-promotional tweet-frenzy can attest. Which is why Twitter needs more assholes. If you see one, consider following him. It's for the greater good.

(Pic: Maria Palma)