When I first got my twitter, I felt confused. I didn’t know how to use it. Rather, I ended up updating it with random sentences I found in articles I thought were funny. Later, after consulting with some of my hip friends, I learned that it could serve as some sort of bookmark database. Essentially, I could have it as an extension of my online brain.
For a while, I coasted with this idea. Others took it to more adventurous heights, tying it directly to Facebook. Personally, I found such an approach aggravating and as a cheap way of finding people to follow you. Most of my friends began gaining followers this way, by the sheer fact that they knew many of these people in real life. How I decided to do this was to have almost exclusively people add me based on the content of my tweets instead of the content of my character.
My twitter content remained too uninteresting for most people. No one followed me as I blazed through countless amounts of music links, political links, etc. Honestly, I didn’t mind. Twitter felt alone to me, as a place to reflect on my slowing growing interest in all things net-based.
Things changed. After this blog got started, I began thinking about new ways of using twitter. Almost immediately I changed the twitter name to its current name. Links were posted so one could find this more clearly. Hash tags began to be used with ever increasing amounts of abandon. I didn’t care if my review of Mouse on Mar’s album had anything to do with #bringingsexybackthursday.
Eventually though, something had to change. My hash tags became more accurate. One day, I lost my tweet at virginity to none other than that scamp, Kari Ferrell (aka the Hipster Grifter). After my in-depth article I wrote about her, she sent me the tweet that forever changed my tweeting world. It simply said:
“hotdoghandjobs@Beach_Sloth: Everything you said is true, but you forgot about the part where I had seven abortions.”
I guess she must have googled herself to find my article. She might have searched through hashtags. All I know is she popped my twitter cherry, I was free to frolic within the character limit of 140 words. For that, I’d like to offer her my greatest thanks.
After my first twitter hookup, I began to look for something more meaningful, less one-night stand-ish. Slowly I realized entire friendships; relationships could be forged in little, well-thought-out phrases. I could distill the essence of my character into a beautiful phrase, a broken little piece of poetry one might love me by. People became more receptive to me after they realized I wrote large scale pieces as well. Writing articles, reviews, other blurbs garnered me some sort of ‘twitter chops’ proving I could work in a larger format when I wanted.
Now, after these followers have begun to truly know me, I can never go back. Forever I must respond to others, to interact within a web of similar, like-minded people. In many ways twitter feels freer than the average social network. I can remain completely anonymous, obscure, and distant, mirroring the approach I take with this blog. No one who knows or has met me in real life ever followed me on twitter, so I have complete freedom over the content.
Plus, while I initially possessed some snobbishness about prolific twitters, I now realize how much of a skill that is. Few Americans actually use twitter or have an account (the percentage is about 6%) so more than most other platforms, you might actually be speaking directly to that very person rather than ‘somebody who handles their website’. Such intimacy while remaining so distant is a great pull. It is easy to update twitter, and most artists/musicians aren’t particularly web savvy, so it’s ideal for them.
I’ve made many friends through twitter. You know who you people are. You’ve made my life more meaningful, more relevant through your tweets at me. Direct messages are even better; I adore those since they rarely are spam and can be pure emotion.
My worry would be if I end up getting too addicted to the constant updates. At times it feels like some sort of addiction, wanting the instant gratification that it undoubtedly brings. I know appreciation should take time, so I’m trying to temper my need for such a quick impulse. Hopefully I’ll continue to meet some of the strangest people possible without the joy or fear of ever having to meet them in person. Though if I ever met one of my followers or person I was following in person, I’d probably know much more about them than I’d be willing to admit. Add me on twitter by going here: Beach_Sloth