Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Summing Up a Life in 140 Characters or Less

OH! And here's an article on Twitter that I wrote for the school newspaper last month. Enjoy. :)

Summing Up a Life in 140 Characters or Less

The last social networking website I ever thought I would join was Twitter. Three months ago I passionately despised the site that has users sum up their thoughts and happenings in less than 140 characters. I simply didn’t understand it; I didn’t see the point of telling the world what I was doing at any given point in time, nor did I really care what everyone else was doing. This thought process (and the classroom tangents it inspired) came to a screeching halt during one late night of weakness last May.

I’ve come to realize, as many Twitter users have, that every actor, musician, writer, director, athlete, celebrity-for-no-reason out there now has a Twitter. I, being the entertainment junkie that I am, for some strange reason, care whether Hayley Williams of Paramore is enjoying her horror movie marathon on her tour bus or what Katy Perry’s cat, Kitty Purry, is wearing to the VMAs. Twitter is filling in the gaps that E! News leaves and gives me an inside look into the world of the people I listen to/watch/read on a daily basis. That may sound a little pathetic, but it’s one way to break up the monotony of homework and college applications.

Before you pass off Twitter as a way for the socially awkward to get a virtual life, hear this: it does have practical uses. How did I hear that Say Anything moved the release date of their new album? Twitter. Who tells me when Julia Nunes posts a new video on YouTube? Twitter. Who reminds me to get all of my college application materials in on time? That’s right, Twitter does. As more and more people join Twitter, it will be much easier for organizations and businesses to share information and connect with current and potential consumers. And you thought simple status updates were useless…

Organizations, celebrities, and nerds aren’t the only people using twitter, though. My favorite tweets to read are usually those composed by writers and comedians. The “Twitterverse” is home to some seriously funny people. When I first joined the website, I sought out some of my favorite established writers and comedians, one of them being Diablo Cody. As a huge fan of Cody’s quirky writing style, I wondered if she could retain her humor in less than 140 characters. I was absolutely right. Cody comments on everything from the less than stellar success of her latest flick Jennifer’s Body to her Twilight-esque obsession with roller coasters. Some of her recent highlights include “I realize I should just stop reading tabloids, since they're basically bound, numbered treasuries of my biggest pet peeves,” and “Almost 10 years ago, I was a family law paralegal. I've developed a weird late-night hobby of Googling the kids to see if they're OK now.”

Twitter has also introduced me to other artists and writers. My favorite Twitter discovery thus far has been Caprice Crane, novelist and TV writer for shows such as the new incarnations of 90210 and Melrose Place. Caprice is part of the new generation of female screenwriters lead by Diablo Cody. She generally uses her Twitter to complain about the annoyances of daily life in Los Angeles. Her dry sense of humor shines through in her brief writings. My favorite recent tweet of hers kind of captures her essence: “Professional sports is probably the only job where yelling at others makes you ‘fiery’ as opposed to ‘fired.’”

In what may be the most predictable ending to any article about Twitter, I will now sum up this article in tweet-form: @charlotteatepie You can call me a nerd now, but I’ll be laughing when everyone joins Twitter after reading this article.


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