Twitter was something I joined a decade ago. It was quick and witty. It was social media on-the-fly. I liked the fact it was easy. Almost too easy. The only thing I really used Facebook for by then was Farmville. I'd set an alarm on my phone to be sure I harvested or planted a new crop in time.
Remember those days? I haven't thought about Farmville in a while.
Needless to say I wasn't a big fan of Facebook otherwise and eventually in 2009 stopped using it entirely. A couple years later a DM on Twitter from an old schoolmate informs me someone had "hijacked my Facebook" profile (his words). Until not long ago I had saved the link to my profile which is now a man who looks to be in Turkey. I'm sure if I scroll back through photos from 10 years ago on my girlfriend's profile page I'll find comments that I left, except now they're translated to Arabic.
Unlike Habbo; formerly known as, Habbo Hotel. Now that has come to mind as recently as a few days ago. At first I couldn't remember what the virtual world was even called. What I remember best were those three letters: A/S/L followed by a Question Mark. If the only thing coming to the surface for you is American Sign Language, allow me to clarify: a/s/l is internet slang for: Age/Sex/Location?
To my teenaged-self, Habbo Hotel was one of those indoor playgrounds you grew out of quickly. There were lobbies and games rooms and discotheques to explore. If you were lucky to be invited to a Guest Room then you were sort of cooler. These were member-created rooms with wallpaper, furniture and other things that you could buy using credits. Because you were free to play as anyone you felt sort of rebellious logging onto HH. While MSN Messenger was fun you were limited to those in your contacts. I continued to use Habbo Hotel until my mother found out what it was and told me I needed to, "get off that shit immediately!" Thus ended by online relations with people living around the world.
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Twitter allowed me to escape similarly. I used an alias for as long as I can remember. Before joining the social network I heard from a friend of a friend, it was, "fun". Yet fun doesn't really scratch the surface when it comes to Twitter.
The motherland of live updates. Live-tweeting was born and everyone became the "media" through Twitter.
Mayoral contests were won, some could argue.
The real reason I joined was because I wanted to post a photo of what me and the girls were wearing to The Monster Ball Tour. Lady Gaga performed in Edmonton the summer I joined Twitter,
August 26th-27th 2010.
Even today when I think about getting all dressed up, Lady Gaga is the first person who comes to mind. Mother Monster has nearly 84M followers and remains one of the most entertaining and spellbinding talents of her time. Perhaps the greatest thing about Ms. Germanotta after so many years listening to her music, I'm still surprised by a song I've yet to hear. Yoü and I was a track on our wedding day playlist. Of course Just Dance during our reception.
The extent to which I love her I wouldn't call an obsession. There are superfans or "little monsters" with much more love than I have to offer Gaga. All I have for the lady born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is admiration. She is truly a woman for peace.
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Now this leads me to my next adventure which came about very recently (feel free to try it yourself)
Type your birth month and day into Uncle Google followed by the (+) sign and a celebrity / artist's name.
Then click Images.
The first time I did this was for the phenomenal Rihanna. When I tried Lady Gaga I was truly surprised to learn of the significance in Taiwan, and how they've declared the day as, Lady Gaga Day! Taichung, Taiwan made the decision based on the first day Gaga visited the country in 2011.
Having happened upon this information almost by accident is extra rewarding for me. There's so much more to knowledge when you connect to it personally, or deeper.
I try to look for inspiration in unconventional places because it allows for the most amount of growth. Also, a long time ago someone told me lots of our world is known, but, it's actually the unknown parts of the world that move us. There's so much more of it unknown.
Unknown allows you to challenge the way things are normally understood, you know?
In opening yourself up to knowledge you create some of the purest experiences and emotions, raw and happening in real time. Nothing can replicate the feeling you get from checking your phone notifications and finding a New Follower - someone out there living a very real life and who has taken an interest in you.
It's otherworldly when someone you think of fondly takes the time to react or reply to something you've posted up on the internet for all to see. I've even noticed some people will add the milestone to their bios to flaunt like a trophy or high score; "Followed by so-and-so-on-such-and-such".
While I agree it's important to have followers if you want to have a platform I decided to delete my original Twitter handle from 10 years ago (@__aiw). At the time I had more than 1,000 followers but no concept for the content. Sometimes I'd share details that didn't correspond with the fact I was using a pen name or alias. At the same time I was getting to the point where Twitter was taking too much from me while offering little in return. It was one of my husband's best friends who eventually asked, "in what ways does it add to your life?" He had himself not long before deleted Instagram from his phone. I didn't get to the point of joining IG but from what I've seen, it's similarly a time-waster.
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So in late September 2020 I deactivated @__aiw and it felt amazing to disconnect from the pressure of who I had become online. Sure, it was only a thousand-odd folks from wherever and my past but there was also this relief in the sense I was no longer tied to something I was not.
There's a saying that translates roughly to,
"Show me your friends so I can really know who you are."
If I'm going to be accurate here I need to be technical. Technically, the first social network for Canadians where I made a friend IRL (in real life) was Nexopia. Mary was one of the best friends I ever had and it's no surprise to me, she recently became a lawyer. This woman would stand up for you in a fucking flood - she's just that type of girl. Of my few regrets in life, losing our friendship is one of them. Thankfully she's not too far away and I am hopeful there's a future in which we meet again.
Today I go by quite a few names online. To me it's interesting I guess because I'm still trying to become relevant. I started another Twitter handle to be cheeky until I realized it's actually a pretty good way to be authentically online. Most of the people I follow have something to do with Calgary or Alberta because I love where I live even though it sucks right now. The more attention we give to something the bigger it can become and right now what our province needs is a change in leadership. Every day I come across Albertans who feel the same about the lack of clarity given by our government.
Change can be difficult but often critical if we want to thrive. Sometimes we have to remove something from our lives, like a toxic social platform, in order to grow. Maybe we have to let go of individuals who are dimming our brilliance. Or make some room, even if it's a small space, to let someone new in.
The one part of me that has survived the longest is this blog you're reading at the moment.
I know I won't be here for a long time but these words aren't going anywhere.
