I have a completely unsubstantiated theory that my social media feeds have moods. Sometimes, everyone is happy and debates are civil. Other times, people are ragged and nasty. Whether it’s national tragedies like the Marathon bombing and Texas fertilizer plant explosion or something simply controversial, like Lean In, my Twitter feed can suddenly become filled with snark, condescension, and anger.
In those times, I like to imagine the many people who do not follow the news of the day, who work outside, who wander lonely as a cloud, who live life at a slower pace, who tend to a flock like the shepherds of yore.
And wow, will you look at that, there is a real, actual shepherd on Twitter now:@herdyshepherd1 of the Lake District of England. And he tweets while he herds.
“Moving ewes with lambs off lambing fields to avoid mix ups.”
“Weary bones.
Tired head.
Can lambing soon be over please.
Knackered.”
“I reckon this lamb will be a cracker someday… 1 hour old and knows how to stand and show off. http://pic.twitter.com/b7sJuXH65y“
Etcetera. There are sundry pictures of lambs and sheep and sheep dogs. There’s even a shepherd’s crook in some photos, though, (TAKE THIS NOSTALGIA) it appears to be plastic.
What’s so nice is that these tweets just pop up in my feed right alongside The Daily Outrage and breaking news alerts, reminding me, “Hey, other people are birthing lambs in a field. There is life outside the scrum.”
Which is a good thing to remember. Also: newborn lambs!!!!
Hat tip: @FakeTV
Alexis Madrigal is a senior editor at The Atlantic, where he oversees the technology channel.