“Russell Crowe loves
Twitter, but he hates Twitter trolls, so he’s a big fan of the block feature,
he told “The HuffPost Show” hosts Roy Sekoff and Marc Lamont Hill on Friday.
But the star and director of “The Water Diviner” wants the act of blocking an
annoying user to be much more dramatic”. Russell Crowe Wants the People He
Blocks on Twitter to ‘Blow The F**k Up’ By Ryan Buxton The HuffPost Show 10
April 2015
As anyone who reads my blog knows I am really interested in
Russell Crowe and how he interactions with his fans. Twitter provides a lot of
that information. Yes, Russell does use Twitter as a way of defending himself
against journalists and others who make what he considers inaccurate
statements, he uses Twitter to express opinions that have often got him into
hot water and yes he uses to interact with fans.
I am not defending Russell and his use of Twitter just
making a few observations. Russell does have a lot of annoying and rude fans
tweet him and yes he does block or mute them deservingly so. Over the years I
have seen Russell block quite a few unsuspecting genuine fans for tweeting
something when he is not having a great day.
So I was interested about these latest comments on the Huff
Post Show. One thing I have learnt about journalists is they do tend to take
things out of context. So rather than taking the comments at face value I went
looking for comments “Twitter trolls should blow the f**k up”.
I first found a short video (2.43 minutes) with a title that stated something along the lines of ‘Russell Crowe wants ‘Twitter
trolls to blow the f**k up’ and was left wondering if Russell did actually say
those comments after watching. Because all I heard on this first video was Russell used
Twitter to cut stories off at the knees. Fair enough too. The title of the
video has since been changed. A perfect definition of trolling I imagine by the Huff Post Show.
I eventually found the comments in the second longer
interview (13.58 min). Russell tried to explain his views on blocking to the
interviewers. He explained how he arrived at a decision to block someone, first
scanning through their homepage and making a decision based on that they may
eventually get nasty. He did manage to say he found blocking unsatisfying and
not dramatic enough and that yes Twitter should (joking) invent a device where
blocking blows Twitter users up. A literal interpretation came from the Huff Post Show co-host. The eager, trying too hard to impress with nothing
new or interesting, were more interested in securing their future viewers and
show and trying too hard to be funny interviewers than what
Russell really had to say.
Perhaps Russell should follow up on the consequences of his blocking
actions on fans because I have. I am wondering what could be more dramatic than
being blocked in front of 1.7 million people for someone who is not famous. The
results can be devastating to those fans who have made their social media home
in the Twitter village. Other fans have been set up by Russell and then they
cop the flack of his loyal and faithful followers just to show who is in
control. As a consequence some have copped so much serious flack they have deactivated their accounts. A public blocking by a celebrity actually feeds and encourages trolls and leaves the fans who do the
right thing and are never responded too, feeling a little bit jaded.
Perhaps what was really a lost opportunity for the Huff Post Show and Russell Crowe was all the really positive interactions that have occurred as a result of
Twitter interactions. Not quite as a sensational headline needed for a new show, but still newsworthy. For example, fans coming online and meeting and becoming
real life friends, publicising good causes, providing feedback on artist’s work
and good publicity to musicians and bands. Then there is the question and
answer type things with followers on Twitter that occurred yesterday on behalf
of @IMDb. There is no dismissing the impact
of a positive tweet from a favourite celebrity can have on the wellbeing of a
fan and do create a sense of community for those involved in the Twitter village. Twitter also helps to sell a product like a movie The Water Diviner.
Russell Crowe
@russellcrowe @IMDb That’s all folks, that was fun, back to the press grind for
me, #TheWaterDiviner opens in the US April 24 #Ask RussellCrowe 13 April 2015
IMDb@IMDb Thanks so
much for taking the time to chat with us @russellcrowe! We’re looking forward
to the release of the #TheWaterDiviner #AskRussellCrowe 13 April 2015
I love a gorgeous selfie...(from the official Twitter account of Russell Crowe. No copyright infringement intended).
