Why Twitter is Awesome

By Ryan O'Connell (from Thought Catalog) on February 23, 2012

I love Twitter and I'm not ashamed to admit it. In fact, why would I ever be ashamed of having a Twitter account? When I hear people roll their eyes whenever it's mentioned, I'm just like "Okay, you clearly don't get it because it's the best social networking site out there. It makes MySpace and Facebook look like your white trash cousins who you ignore during the holidays."

When I first joined in April of 2010, I was a bit confused as to what it was all about. "So let me get this straight -- this website wants me to tweet about what I had for lunch? Why would anyone care about that?" But like everything else on the Internet, it is what you make of it. Yes, you can tweet about what you had for lunch that day if you're so inclined ("OMG, chicken pesto sandwich from my fave restaurant. Nom nom nom nom") but you can also choose to use it as a way to post your favorite news items of the day, keep up to date on all of your favorite celebrities' musings, or use it as a networking tool and a way to brand yourself. These days, people have become famous and landed a book deal or a job just by having an entertaining Twitter feed. Now, that's democracy! (Or, in this case, Twitocracy.)

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[Image courtesy of Actual Objects]

The amazing thing about Twitter is that it manages to be both democratic AND exclusive. Anyone can go but not everyone will get noticed -- and getting noticed is what it's all about. In 2012, one of the biggest forms of currency one can have is Twitter followers. Simply put, the more you have, the more power you can attain. I liken Twitter to being a high school cafeteria. Within the website, there are different groups of people, or tables, and they can be VERY cliquey. For example, all of the funny ladies in Hollywood (Mindy Kaling, the girls of HelloGiggles, Megan Amram) follow each other on Twitter and form a little mafia of tweetbacks and inside jokes. You may want to sit with them or some of the popular kids on Twitter for lunch, but it's, like, super hard! You have to get an invite, or, in this case, someone powerful to follow you back and give you some cred.

If you're not interested in being a part of a Twitter mafia, the site is still a great way to connect with professionals and make yourself known. Certain feeds post job listings every day and you never know when someone you follow might tweet about a new job opening. That's another great thing about Twitter. It's of the moment! If you're not on it, you risk being left behind. (Full disclosure: I'm not a big tech freak. I bought my cell phone at Radio Shack for ten dollars and have never owned a smart phone. I don't understand most new technologies but Twitter is the one modern tool I find to be incredibly useful and wholeheartedly endorse.)

You shouldn't fight Twitter. It's bigger than you and will kick your butt. Change will happen with or without you, so you might as well embrace this one. It's painless, totally fun, and might lead you to some unexpected possibilities.

Hopefully we've convinced you of Twitter's awesomeness. Let us know if you agree or if you still think it's weird.

See more from Thought Catalog:

5 Apps That Make Dating Easier

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Ryan O'Connell is a writer and editor at Thought Catalog. He loves tweeting, eating, and shoegazing. Thought Catalog is a digital magazine made for and by Millennials, the first information age generation. It's the online gathering point for smart, technology-obsessed, and self-aware young urbanites who embody the irreverent/innovative zeitgeist of the 2010s. Editorial focus spans all breadths of modern life - from pop culture to technology, literature to television, viral media to music criticism. Topic doesn't matter all that much, as long as what is being covered resonates with the most plugged-in members of Generation Y.

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