Ok. So… Twitter. Some get it, some don’t. Some think it’s revolutionary, some think it’s a fad. Some think it’s a great social media tool, some think it’s abject garbage. While I do have an account(@patricksays- don’t follow me or anything…), and send the occasional tweet out into the twitter ether, I really use it to sate my shameful hunger for celebrity gossip and general shenanigans. OH EM GEE KIM KARDASHIAN AND REGGIE BUSH BROKE UP AGAIN??? LINDSAY LOHAN IS OUT OF THE NUT HUT??? KANYE CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST ARROGANT BEING ON THE PLANET??? Thank GOD all that’s cleared up.
Now to give myself a little credit, I also follow friends, which for the most part is enjoyable. Do I NEED to know that you’re the mayor of your local Starbucks on foursquare? No. But whatevs. All in good tweety fun.
Of late, I’ve begun following more politicians- or at least reading their timelines. With a slew of nationwide elections upon us, politicos and their camps are furiously attempting to reach out to as many people as possible (I’ve gotten more campaign calls than I can stomach). And what better way to do so than letting people know exactly what they’re thinking/ doing right when they’re thinking/doing it? Oh twitter, why you so smart?
After hours of exhaustive research and tireless data compilation, I’ve arrived at my irrefutable result (see equation below)-
1 politician + 1 twitter account = 1 cooler politician.
Now, of course, there are variables that can change that equation and its outcome- lack of tweets, super lame tweets, not enough followers, et al. But in a time when the disconnect between the younger generations and those who represent them in the government is not so much a fissure as it is the Grand Canyon, I think it shows at least an attempt to “get with it.” Am I basing my political beliefs on someone’s twitter? Of course not. But I do appreciate the effort. I really do.