Twitter, a Space for Friendship — Tech That Makes Us Better
A few days ago, a friend of mine asked me ‘What social network do you usually spend time on? Twitter? Instagram? Facebook?’
The answer is Twitter. It has always been Twitter.
Everyone else at the table went around. None of them said the same.
As I wondered to myself just why that was, I concluded that in part it’s because Twitter gets a bad rap. To the general public, Twitter is a place to anonymously heckle (and bully) celebrities and those you disagree with, to steal jokes, and to follow Fake Will Ferrell. This is about as ‘true’ as saying that Instagram is a place to take pictures of your food, but undoubtably the public persona of Twitter could use some work, and all of those things are very much present on the network.
One benefit of the service is the way that it in many ways brings a levelling of the playing field, where anyone can join into the conversation. It’s how I’ve talked to Chris Sacca and a bevy of other people I admire, through quick conversations. That being said, Twitter is also a place to just talk. A place to share, on a moment to moment basis.
It’s a place that allows you to develop relationships, out of thin air — and that’s a powerful tool in today’s economy.
I have an old friend named Jon Mitchell. We’ve been talking for years, but I had never met him until six months ago — that’s because I know him through Twitter.
That first meeting ‘in real life’ a few months ago occurred because I happened to be in LA. We attempted to arrange dinner but the only time that worked for both of us was a night he was having a Shabbat dinner with some friends, so he graciously invited my wife and I to attend. Throughout the night his friends would ask who I was, and we would awkwardly try to explain how we met — which would segue directly into awkwardly trying to explain Twitter to those who have never really used it in the way Jon and I have.
Here’s my version of events: For some reason or another, I followed Jon on Twitter while he was writing for Read Write Web. There’s a chance this happened back in the days where you saw the ‘@-mentions’ of those you followed, regardless of if you were following the other party or not. There’s a chance he got retweeted by someone I liked. There’s also a chance I just randomly stumbled upon his tweets, and followed him.
Soon after, Jon tweeted an open invite for a ‘Hangout’ to discuss ‘saving things later’. I responded. He invited me in. I now had a small circle of people with whom I could to talk to about the things I had always obsessed about on my own.
As someone who has always been incredibly fascinated with tech, apps, and all sorts of futurism, I found both his writing and the topics he was covering interesting. As someone who has also always been a firm believer in the power of mindfulness and something bigger than tomorrow’s tech, I found something special in the way he viewed it all.
A simple example of this is a conversation we had about the app Quotebook, which I was intrigued by but unsure of its value. At the time I was trying to get the biggest bang for my buck possible, and this was an app just to…just store quotes? Why wouldn’t I just keep them in Notes? “I guess its non-pretty (but functional) UI and very niche functionality make me weary… but I love the idea and want to use it!”, I said to Jon.
His response: “What’s the difference between ‘its very niche functionality” and “the idea?’”
That tweet gave me pause. In a single sentence (and with 64 characters to spare) he (kindly) questioned why making something that’s niche was wrong. That one sentence began to shift my perspective, to see technology as art, and I’m honestly just thankful that someone cared enough to ask. To make it even more clear? He bought the app for me.
What a kindness.
A love of technology with meaning has (no surprise) always been a big part of the conversations Jon and I have. Over the years, we’ve continued talking, and he has remained my favorite ‘voice’ on Twitter.
Looking back, the first conversation of ours I can find is from March 19th, 2012. Exactly four years ago, today. Jon tweeted about reading The Sandman, and we talked about the series for a bit. By the end, I knew I had found someone interesting to talk to.
Isn’t that the power of Twitter? It’s one giant space where everyone can share a bit about themselves and the things they love. If that’s interesting to you, you just might join in. Twitter is more than a place to follow celebrities (despite what the organization building the service itself might think), it’s a space to talk, a space to share, and a space to learn. That’s technology that makes you better.
