By Andrew Garland
Hi, my name’s @AndriouxGarland and I’m a twitter addict.
I’m fairly new to Twitter. In fact, it was forced upon me as part of my journalism and communications course at TAFE. With Twitter, it wasn’t that I didn’t fully understand the concept. I just didn’t really care. So when @babelfishes insisted we start an account as part of our course you’d be quite right to assume I wasn’t very enthusiastic.
I hate it when people say dramatic things like ‘oh, my passion in life is … ’ and whatever, but if I were one of those people my passion would be football. Not the one played by boofheads and drink-drivers mind you. The one with the round ball known as The Beautiful Game.
To aid my initiation into the micro-blogging world of Twitter @babelfishes suggested a few sportsy-type people I could follow, namely @DebSpillane and @toneharper. From there I went my own way, adding high profile football figures left, right, and centre. @WayneRooney and @rioferdy5 had both been in the English tabloids for their questionable Twitter etiquette so I snapped them up straight away.
At no point in history have fans had this kind of access to their idols, and while I’m not one for celebrity worship I’ve got to admit it’s a strange feeling to have this kind intimate insight into these peoples’ lives. It adds a real human quality to these guys that before seemed invincible. I watch @WayneRooney run out onto the pitch with his steely glare. He tells the press pre-match that he’s been training hard and keeping focus but I know he had trouble getting to sleep in his hotel last night due to his nervous anticipation of the game. During the Champions League final between Manchester UTD and Barcelona I spent more time with my head buried in my phone than I actually did watching the game. @piersmorgan was fantastic at goading the United players calling the match a #messicre.
I’m following some great journalists too. @ibnezra is a freelancer based on the Gaza strip. While the Palestinians were protesting the Israeli Nakba Day celebrations he tweeted some seriously disturbing pictures from the thick of the clashes. Considering the violence of the images he sent, I couldn’t believe those photos didn’t make of the world’s major newspapers.
I don’t Twitter every day, I update the bloody thing every half hour. When I first wake up I’m checking Twitter. On the train? Twitter-time. Lunch: Twitter and a sandwich, then later, some afternoon Twea. How about an after dinner Twint? @JohnCleese confesses he’s a Twat. I think I am too.
Featured illustration by epicupcake /CC/Deviant Art
