Alexander Ganias, ‘20

December 2018

When you think social media, let’s be real, you most likely think either Snapchat or Instagram. The hip-and-happening young folk of the 21st century spend most of their time on phones, on these apps, doing this, that, and the other thing. Yeah, that’s all great and whatever, but the most sh*t goes down on Twitter. Yep, Twitter is one of the juiciest applications on the internet, if you know how to use it right.

I’m willing to bet that there are two thoughts going through your head right now: “I don’t have twitter”, or “I have it, but I don’t use it.” NO, that is incorrect!!! If you have Twitter, then you must use it. I will proceed to delve into my experiences on this holy app, in hopes that they will influence yours.

My feed is mainly cluttered with political propaganda from both political wings, articles on sports uniforms (of which I am very interested), and my favorite sports teams. There’s the occasional advertisement or “promoted” tweet, but that’s about it. Instagram is where I let myself be myself, but Twitter is where my “stupid libtard” side comes out. Some of my more popular tweets are trolls of our current president (I’ve gotten like 60 likes and 10 retweets once), or pointing out something interesting about a sports logo. But sometimes the best parts of Twitter, are when you just sit back and take in all of the hilarious subtweets. Like when a woman decided to name her child Abcde (Ab-sity), or when Senator Flake (R-AZ) said that the senate needs to protect the special counsel (like he’ll do that). Twitter is politics central for me, just for me to weed out all of the lies and propaganda from the Senate, the House, and the oval office, from each wing (yes, I’m a left leaner, but they ain’t the cleanest either).

There are also many celebrities, athletes, and sports journalists that are a great follow. Some of mine include, Mark Hamill (Actor), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Stephen King (Author), Spencer Dinwiddie (G, Nets), and Ken Rosenthal (Journalist), among others. Not only have I gotten replies from some of them, but they have some of the funniest things to say, and they can also be very informative. That’s the biggest thing about Twitter in my eyes; everyone feels closer together. A House Rep. from Arkansas can have a conversation with a common everyman from Missouri; a retired athlete can praise a young man’s motivation (that happened to me). Anything can happen in 280 characters, and it’s freaking wonderful.

Now there are the typical setbacks, as is the case for every social media site. Old tweets can be brought back up like a meal that didn’t sit right, and it can hinder progress in life, in some cases even devastate it. Whatever happens on the internet, stays on the internet people, you have to be careful with what you say. Twitter can also be a very hurtful place, with people who can’t agree on how others should be treated. The things that people say can be downright cruel sometimes, and it’s a reflection of our current society. Outside of that however, when you take the necessary precautions, Twitter is the best social experience if you want to support a movement, or laugh at the many politicians on the platform, or whatever you feel like doing. You can have fun on Twitter, and also be a powerful voice on it, if you know how to use it. So go out there and get the app, you won’t regret it (I hope).