I have to admit that since October of this year, I have become that person who, when something hilarious, sad, controversial, or “interesting” happens, always says, “Oh my gosh! I have to tweet that!” And a friend usually responds with, “Seriously? I don’t understand what the hype is about Twitter. Girl, you’re obsessed!”
In response to that friend’s comment, what do I do? I shrug — and tweet my true feelings about it to the Twitter world, the place where I can express myself without fear of judgement (obviously because we tweeters are all in the same boat — or nest? You know, because the Twitter icon is a bird — wow, tangent!). Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a little bit about the level of my Twitter-crazed behavior, but to simply put it, Twitter is awesome, minus the addictive side effects.
For those who don’t have an account, I can imagine the eye rolls already and the “Oh no, not another person bugging me about freakin’ Twitter!” And even some of the people who do have one may react in the same way — the people whose first and only tweet says, “How the heck do you use this thing?!” or “Yeah, this is lame #LoggingOut.” But for those who have conformed and have gone through that initial love-hate relationship with Twitter, we’ve come to appreciate the diverse features and functions of the social media platform.
Don’t get me wrong, Facebook is still the go-to social media site, but there’s more to social media than receiving the bland newsfeed you get from the people you haven’t talked to since high school, seeing yet another college couple’s engagement or wedding photos, getting random messages from creepers, or having to scroll past paragraph-long statuses.
My friend, it’s time to conform and dive into another social media world, experience something new. Need more convincing? Here you go:
1. You Can Stalk Celebrities
Hmm, I wonder what “The Sexiest Man Alive” is doing right now? Google couldn’t even answer that question for you, but Twitter…
Twitter for celebrities is the equivalent of what Facebook is for us normal people — they post pictures of their perfect chiseled bodies positioned at appealing angles, party shenanigans and their entourage. You get to see a more real side of the person behind the fame.
Like the fact that Katy Perry’s obsessed with her cat, Kitty Purry, Lil’ Wayne does not like to tweet in English, (lik wth, 4realz tho, I h8t wen ppl write lik dat >.<). Oh, and Britney’s still calling people bitches (Her info box reads: “It’s Britney B*tch”).
And you’d be surprised by the personal and sometimes outrageous tweets many celebrities post.
2. Twitter = Social Media + Google + Your Primary Source of News
Twitter is a pool of diverse information from different, literally millions of sources. Did you feel like one of the last few people who knew what happened at Virginia Tech this week? I personally found out via Twitter, not just from other users, but from actual news sources that I follow who update me on current events.
On a not-so-newsworthy day, you can get newsfeed about everyday, relatable quotes or a sale that your favorite clothing store is having. Also, another interesting feature is that you can get other users’ perspective on an issue or key words or phrases.
Twitter has what’s called “Trending Topics,” which appear on the side bar of the home page. This section informs users of the top-ten topics that the Twitter world is talking about, which can include current events, breaking news, random hashtags (for example, #StoryOfMyLife).
3. Venting
Feeling a little emo, insanely happy in love or FML-ish today? Tweet about it and be as generic or painfully specific as you, and fortunately for your followers, it won’t be any longer than 140 characters. What’s great about venting on Twitter is that it’s more accepted than if you vent on Facebook because most people tweet about random happenings in their lives.
And who knows, there’s a good chance that someone out there in the Twitter world is/was thinking the same thing and they might reply or retweet you and there it is, you just connected with someone you don’t know.
4. The Interactions
My favorite feature of Twitter is the interactions — the replying, retweeting and seeing what’s on other people’s minds. It’s interesting to absorb others’ different opinions or the tweets that resonate so firmly with you. It’s fun building connections and interacting with people you don’t really know.
What’s even cooler is that if you tweet a celebrity or your favorite magazine, they might reply or retweet your tweet. In general when someone does that, their followers see it and by the end of the day, your tweet could have been seen by thousands of people.
5. Channel Your Alter Ego
Unlike Facebook, with Twitter, you can be anyone you want. Change your Twitter name to “Sexy Blonde Vixen” or “Your Boyfriend’s Fantasy.” Some users even create fan pages or fake celebrity profiles. And others pride themselves in their ability to tweet the best relationship advice or the funniest sayings. The possibilities are endless with who you choose to be and what you want to say on Twitter.
And there it is. So if you actually do decide to conform and get a Twitter, let me know so that I can welcome you! Find me at Tasha_MarieM.