I Tweeted Out My Phone Number—And Rediscovered Humanity

I Tweeted(twēt) Out My Phone Number—And Rediscovered(ˌrēdəˈskəvər) Humanity((h)yo͞oˈmanədē)

By Robyn Kanner

The calls come in during twilight(ˈtwīˌlīt). At first, the tone(tōn) is a whisper(ˈ(h)wispər). They’re trying to see if I’m someone they’re comfortable(ˈkəmftərbəl,ˈkəmfərtəbəl) with. I look for a common interest: food, film, music—anything that connects us as humans. After that, I let them lead(led,lēd).

I’ve been taking phone calls from strangers for a few months now. This practice started after I was digitally(ˈdijidəlē) shamed(SHām) on Twitter(ˈtwidər). I had written(ˈritn) an op-ed in The New York Times worrying about our culture of shame. I empathized(ˈempəˌTHīz) with a white teen(tēn) growing up in a conservative(kənˈsərvədiv), Midwestern(ˌmidˈwestərn) home. In my heart, I know a couple things to be true. We’re all human beings that deserve(dəˈzərv) the opportunity to change or grow. Speaking our truth is better than scolding(ˈskōldiNG) or silencing(ˈsīləns) the voices that we don’t like. It’s healthy to disagree.

Of course, there was a backlash(ˈbakˌlaSH). I was called racist(ˈrāsəst). My mentions(ˈmenCHən) were filled with malice(ˈmaləs). Strangers tweeted(twēt) about how they had lost respect for me. Close friends said nothing at all. I was being digitally shamed for arguing against digital shaming. A congressional(kənˈɡreSH(ə)n(ə)l) candidate(ˈkandiˌdāt, ˈkandidət) and internet influencers(ˈinflo͝oəns) urged(ərj) me to issue a public response. It’s a lonely experience to feel like the most hated(hāt) person alive for just saying what was on my mind.

So I put my phone number in my bio(ˈbīō) on Twitter. Then, when no one called, I tweeted out my number with an invitation(ˌinvəˈtāSH(ə)n) to reach out.

The first call came through around 9 at night. The caller was a librarian(līˈbre(ə)rēən) with an upbeat(ˈəpˌbēt) voice. I was prepared to answer as many questions as she needed to ask about my op-ed. Instead, she told me about the men in her life. I listened and offered any advice on men that I had—which, as a single woman, is not much. It was surprisingly(sərˈprīziNGlē) normal and, after 20 minutes, we said our goodbyes.


https://www.wired.com/story/why-we-love-tech-twitter-phone-humanity/