Black Twitter: Changing Lives 140 Characters at a Time
Twitter has very quickly become a powerhouse medium for news. When I wake up in the morning, the first things I do are check my email, Snapchat, and Twitter. Twitter is one of my main sources of news and information about the world. What separates Twitter from regular “mainstream” forms of news is that it’s very interactive. The news I get from Twitter comes with the main story and the facts and links that I can share and read, but I’m also able to interact and respond to people and networks who’ve also been discussing the story.
A very specific and noteworthy subset of Twitter that has become a regular part of my Twitter usage is Black Twitter. Black Twitter is iconic. Black Twitter is hilarious, inviting, intelligent, comforting, and so much more. As a person of color, I’ve found both comedic relief and a sense of solstice within the community of Black Twitter. A lot of the accounts that I follow are within the same trend of the issues of Black Twitter and are people and organizations that cater to issues of women and the black community.
Angela Rye is a political commentator and an all around amazing person. She frequently replies back to people that mention her and she’s always on top of the news. With Angela Rye, I know I’m getting the news but I’m also getting an unfiltered, unapologetic opinion about what it means for people like me and those who I care about. She’s an educated black woman who’s taken the media completely by storm and has proven that she is not to be messed with.
I also follow Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton who run the podcast Another Round. Their podcast covers all things black and female and they’re hilarious women. Their style is contagious and transparent and they keep me up on important news. They also use their accounts to post about their personal lives, but they type the way they speak and they’re both great comedians.
I believe all these women fall under the category of Black Twitter. They keep me informed and laughing at the same time. They encompass this nuanced community of people that I’ve found comfort in. I find myself reading some of their posts and relating to them in a way that doesn’t come often. Finding a group of people, even just in a series of tweets, that makes you feel like you’re not alone is a powerful phenomenon.
