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| Daft Punk Took Best record and best album..which is really a miracle given the fact, they repeat the same couple of lines over and over and over. |
Historically, I haven't spent a great deal of time on Twitter. To tell you the truth, I don't quite understand the purpose of sending out little wisps of thoughts to what may be, in my case, the smallest group of followers in Twitterdom. (that would be @veryconflicted for those of you that like small intimate gatherings) There is also the fact, that it is very difficult to limit myself to 140 characters. (You don't seem shocked by that.) Up until recently I would of said the sole purpose of Twitter was that it provided a barometer for celebrities to check the status of their popularity while at the same time rudely pointing a finger at those that are less popular. I am assuming you don't hinge your self- worth to the number of followers you have on Twitter.
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| Katy Perry is the most popular according to Twitter |
unless, of course, you consider blogs as a type of social networking.
It isn't that I don't see merit in some of the sites that actually have resulted in people connecting or reconnecting. I love to see what my school friends and relatives are up to. Unfortunately, I tend to find other parts of it trivial and avoid marketing components of it. I can't believe that I am the only one that is finding that I dis-LIKE being told by every business under the sun that I need to go to their web site and LIKE them. I currently am not LIKE-ing the word LIKE.
As for today...I am talking about my foray onto Twitter.
It occurred to me a week ago Sunday, that there weren't many programs available to watch on TV thanks to the 4+ hours taken up by the Grammy Awards. As I like music and was too lazy to search ON DEMAND for a movie, I figured I would power through "live" TV.
For those that weren't watching, during the opening number, Beyonce does a dance routine with a chair. Does the idea of someone doing a dance in a chair getting wet sound at all familiar? Well for me it had a certain deja vu quality about it. It reminded me of Jennifer Beals in the "Maniac" sequence of Flashdance.
Also, I began to wonder if anyone else beside me, wasn't loving this opening act. (I am sure heads are exploding at the thought I didn't find this opening act "the bomb".)
In an effort to find out the answer to these questions, I did what anyone that was within reach of an iPad or Smartphone would do. I signed onto Twitter to see what the masses were saying. Turns out that I am the only one in the universe that wasn't losing their mind over how wonderful this was and no one was mentioning "Maniac." I am, also, the only one on the planet that wasn't gushing and spewing nonsense about how Beyonce and Jay Z are the most romantic couple EVER. (For those of you that missed this...by this point in time...Beyonce and Jay Z were both on stage doing some serious rub-a-dubbing against each other and the cameras are zeroing in on booties and crotches) Yeah, the whole routine was totally the essence of romance. (do I need to point out the sarcasm here?)
Which brings me to my point....Alternate reasons to use Twitter other than stalking and/or measuring the popularity of a celebrity.
A. Finding affirmation and endorsement of your opinions related to "whatever" is happening.
B. Getting confirmation on how odd/wrong/unique you are or affirm that you are "normal".
C. Getting the opportunity to spew random opinions into the universe so others can A. or B.
Thought Number Two: The Great Divide
I will say that because I have spent so little time on Twitter, it was somewhat of a learning experience.
The speed of "tweets flashing before one's eyes" doesn't allow for participating in any meaningful way. I had signed on to the thread #Grammys so over the course of the 4+ hours of programming, there were 15.2 MILLION tweets. Needless to say, every time I looked down at my phone there were 100s of new tweets.
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| If Gaga tries to bite me, I will push her off of her shoes. That's bound to do some damage. |
I, also figured out rather quickly that some of the Twitter comments were nearly as entertaining as some portions of the program itself. The comments consisted in equal amounts of praise, mockery and comedic one-liners. There seemed to be some areas of general consensus as well as some of the acts brought a wave of opposing tweets.
Because this year's Grammy Awards performers were fairly divided between older groups and younger groups, there seemed to be some age divisiveness involved as well.
Age disparities? Yes, how else can you account for this?
While Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sang a duet ..one of the tweets that came up asked:
Where are the other two Beatles? Pretty rude of them not to show up.
And there were hundreds that went along those lines....
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| Really?? These people have no idea who the Beatles were? |
Of course, there were a lot that were just one-liners...and I do mean A LOT.
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| Commissioner Latifah marrying 33 couples along side the wedding singer. |
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Do you Tweet? If so...what do you enjoy about it? If not...what are your thoughts?
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30 comments:
I have no interest in Tweeting. I mean how cool can it be if the Pope is tweeting?
I don't really use twitter either, except to promote my own blogs, or other people's blogs. As far as social media goes I stick with three things: Blogs, Facebook & Instagram. That's it.
"Turns out that I am the only one in the universe that wasn't losing their mind over how wonderful this was and no one was mentioning "Maniac." I am, also, the only one on the planet that wasn't gushing and spewing nonsense about how Beyonce and Jay Z are the most romantic couple EVER." --- And that's just one of the many reasons I LOVE YOU!
"While Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sang a duet ..one of the tweets that came up asked: Where are the other two Beatles? Pretty rude of them not to show up."
Um. Wow. Just wow.
"WHO IS PAUL MCCARTNEY? "
*RIP MELEAH WHO DIED FROM SHOCK*
Verily, I tweeteth not and I also don't know why I'm getting all Shakespearian about it.
Debra, you are so funny..Shakesperian or not, I understandeth your point.
I should use Facebook and Twitter more to promote my blog but there are a few Facebook followers that I am not sure need to read some of my posts. I wish it was easier to separate blog FB pages from being spin off of my personal account.
I was surprised at the reaction at the gym, when I said I thought is was sleazy. You would of thought that I had done a "yo mama" joke about their mother. PLUS..why does Jay Z always look so unhappy. He's super rich and seems to have an OK life...can't he smile from time to time?
I, too was shocked that people didn't know Paul McCartney or, for that matter, the Beatles. Those tweets kept coming up by the hundreds wanting to know who Paul and Ringo were.
When I initially heard that the Pope was tweeting, I couldn't help but feel bad about myself. I still don't quite understand how to work with hash tags and images. I need a tutorial, I guess.
Okay, I started to sing- twitter, what is it good for...absolutely nothing! Now, is that a melody clip from some song, or, Hum, just my attitude? I confess, I don't watch the whole awards stuff, as I don't watch too much TV, and as you infered, 'sexual acts on stage are not the essence of romance' (I got the sarcasm). So twitter, yep really should learn how to do that along with reading the 10000 books that are on my to read list( no that is not a slipped finger on the zeros, I may even have missed one). Basically, checking FB is enough for me. I have read about the positive uses of twitter in business and say, like in a protest, even though the riot police now also have twitter accounts to see where the protesters are moving. There is so much SHARING out there, and most of it is repeat repeat repeating. I know it may seem that I sound 'old school ' here (horrors) but I have actually read/and listen to quite a few young people say that it is getting a bit much, all this social media . We shall see...until then Crabby Pants best stay away from Lady Gaga ( even though she's ever so nicely coloured coordinated in all those photos) as I'm sure the performer has a fair number of Body Guards protecting her from those wanting to push her off her high horse, er, I mean..shoes.
To paraphrase Dorothy, "Grammies and Twitter, oh my." You get special blogger combat pay (DOUBLE your usual rate) for wading into that for the sake of a (very entertaining) post. What bugs me about the Grammies is that they actually give awards to serious performers (some of them actually artists) but they emphasize the sensational because that's what brings in the young audience, hence the advertisers. Don't get me wrong ... Beyonce is talented but it gets lost in the continual sexual hype. Nope ... I'll skip the Grammies. Twitter. I Tweet my Oldereyes posts to my (get ready) 11 followers but I doubt anyone notices. I occasionally look on Twitter to see what's going on in sports, when something happens and I want a pulse of it like you did of the Grammies. Besides allowing celebrities to compare popularity and speak about things they know nothing about, Twitter gives movie stars and athletes alike a chance to say really dumb things in public without their agents or PR people getting in the way ... that alone makes it worth loving.
P.S. - Like I say, you are on a roll with great posts. Maybe it was your vacation. Maybe I need one.
First off, did not know you were on Twitter because there is no Twitter logo here on your blog so you now have another follower, that would be me, lol. I only tweet blog posts these days and the odd one here and there. When I started I did a lot, now, not so much.
Second, Beyonce needs to stop worrying about the ring and get some clothes on it. Why is it okay for a celeb like her to flash her tits and crotch in my face but not a "mere mortal" out on the street. She'd make a damn good hooker. And really, I need and want her to really go away and never come back because I know her crotch waayyyyyy to intimately. Probably more so than JayZ!
Third, Madoona, I did that on purpose, is getting old. Those cheek bones have been cut with a razor God damn it! She knows she's an old hag of a bygone era now and is desperate to keep up with GaGa as she seems to be the only one who can really outdo her so Madge is feeling the retirement home creeping up on her. Any day now Madge, any day.
Fourth, Paul McCartney is old, go away. Of course Gen Ys and Zs will not know who he is.
Fifth, the Twitter feeds of events can be bloody hilarious as so many people have such cutting wit. It's fun to read but in no way can you keep up with comments when they come flying at you a million a second.
Sixth, there will always be something someone wore or did that will stand out, or in the case of Angelina a few years back, a leg that stands out, that ends up with its own Twitter feed. Like Pharell's hat!
Seventh, Taylor, Taylor, Taylor, has no man or boy been left off your song writing list? And when will you change your look because the girl next door is not really working any more?
Eighth, some celebs claim they don't do Twitter or Facebook and it's set up by their record/business company and someone else does it. I think in most cases it's both of them on the same feed.
Ninth, I love those pics of your, I didn't know you were with Daft Punk on stage!
Tenth, There comes a time when you need to shut off social media and have a break. That would be at five in the afternoon, like a normal work day. Having said that, when incredibly busy I've been known to check it out at midnight if I'm still online working. Yep, working at midnight, yay me! *sarcastic eye roll*
You don't need to be all over it so don't worry if you're not. It's a time and energy suck and sometimes I really wish it would just disappear. I've been catching up on The Walking Dead and wonder what it would be like to go back to pioneer times with no phones, internet, computers etc and I really don't think the youngsters would cope as they're so damn attached to everything. I also wonder how celebs would cope with a zombie apocalypse in their ivory towers. They may survive longer than Gen Ys and Zs!
You and I have that in common. Trying to pare down a thought to 140 characters is harder than one would think. Plus the majority of tweets are "jokes". I am not a comedian.
When I type that the line "what is it good for" I, also thought of that song.
I don't usually watch award shows, either. They tend to annoy me with all the discussion on how people look and there seems to be a shallowness vibe to it all. But I was at loose ends and turned the Grammys on.
As for the Beyonce and Jay Z act...I am not a big fan of PDA. The fact they are celebrities doesn't change that. I don't associate overtly sexualized displays as romantic.
Isn't that the truth...there is so much reading to be done without Twitter in the mix. I have a bookcase full of books I haven't managed to read yet. Up until the Grammys, I hadn't followed an event on Twitter. I do occasionally go to Newvine to see what people are saying about an event.
The one thing we can count on is that change happens. At some point FB and Twitter will be old news but, of course there will be something new in play. The that thing will be the coolest and best thing...until the next thing comes along.
Yes, Crabby likes to blend into the crowd. You may be right about the body guards but maybe Crabby Pants can out run them. Let's hope so.
Hahaha...double my normal pay? I don't think one would have to be great at math to figure out how much that would amount to.
Overall, this Grammy awards show was interesting because of the array of "old school" performers performing with the newer musicians. In fact, that is what made the Twitter feeds fascinating. Nearly every performance was a mashup of an older group/person paired with a newer group/person. For example: Metallica with Lang Lang. As a result the tweets were very divided in their opinions of all the acts.
As for Beyonce...I agree that she is talented and even entertaining but as of late it seems she is relying more and more on this over-sexualized, bump and grind kind of act. Not loving it.
I have been very poor at keeping track of my Twitter account. Perhaps, I should be paying more attention. Although, as you say, usually when I do check it, there is some celebrity that is making some inane comment. Still it is good for a laugh.
I probably will use Twitter a bit more when there is an event that I am curious about the public's perception. That was rather fun.
Thanks, Bud. I don't know about being on a roll. I have been posting only once a week which means I have had a bit more time to come up with a topic. Inspiration is still often fleeting so I don't anticipate that every post is going to be something that everyone finds interesting. I am always entertained by your posts and don't know how you can write daily.
Not on twitter. I don't feel the need for tweets. I have the same attitude as you about FB and lately have been avoiding it. (BTW FB is 10 years old today). Blogs are social media. They are one of the original social media forms just like Sir Paul McCartney was one of the original Beatles (I'll assume those twits were trying to be funny). 50th anniversary of their Ed Sullivan appearance is coming up fast. There's an idea - tweet lines from the old Ed Sullivan shows and see if anyone catches on. I probably won't be around to know but I'd bet Sir Paul is better known worldwide than Beyonce will be when she is his age.
I watched most of the Grammy Awards but I like the Oscars better.
War, huh, yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh
War, huh, yeah ---- it always reminds me of Seinfeld.
You are awesome, Lady Jewels Diva. Look at you with such a well thought out comment.
1. Thank you for following my Twitter account. I haven't set up a link to my blog because I have been totally negligent about using Twitter. I will try to work on that.
2. Sadly, everyone is getting acquainted with Beyonce's crotch. I am sure there is a segment of the audience that is enjoying the show but my reaction..."meh", I don't need to see hers. I know what girly parts look like.
3. I was actually shocked when I saw Madonna. What is it with the overly chiseled look that is taking over Hollywood. I thought she did look a lot like Dolly Parton...who (IMHO) has taken the nip and tucking to an extreme. It's one thing to get a dab of Botox but when people say "who is that?" perhaps that means they have gone too far.
4. I am shocked that the younger people aren't aware of Paul McCartney and the Beatles just from an occasional press release if for no other reason. I am finding this to be true about a lot of things, lately. I mentioned Charles Manson in conversation (because he was up for parole) and the person I was talking to said she had never heard of him. This reinforces the fact...I am old.
5. I will say, I was loving a lot of the comments. People can be so quick with great comments. Had I been able to figure out how to save them to put into the post, I would have. Of course, even as I was laughing, 100 new tweets had taken their place.
6. Yes, Pharell's hat had 14,000+ followers that last time I checked. Now that could make a person feel inferior. His hat really is giving me the finger.
7. Taylor, Taylor, Taylor...She did a number of odd things that brought in a crapload of hilarious tweets during the Grammys. She seems to be moving from being everyone's darling to the one to watch for a laugh. But as long as she can write a really catchy tune/song, she will be in the spot light, I suppose.
8. I don't follow enough celebrity Twitter feeds to know what they are saying, but I see some of them make the news from time to time such as Kanye West's. Someone really should stitch "think before you Tweet" on a pillow and give it to him as a gift.
9. Thank you!! Yes the glory of being a cartoon. Crabby Pants can pretty much go where ever she wants.
10. I agree that there comes a time to walk away from all the electronic devices...however...I find that early morning and late evening are my times to get caught up. The Internet turns into a real time suck for me. I need to work on better time management and get back some control of my productivity. (*sigh** easier said than done)
I, too, sometimes imagine myself in the pioneer days. It makes me sweat profusely and cringe uncontrollably. Oh, I can imagine myself without electronics as I managed nicely in the 60s and 70s but the thought of having to kill my food and no indoor plumbing is the stuff that nightmares are made of. We have 11 inches of snow on the ground here..I prefer to have my bathroom heated..with running water...and a flushing mechanism.
I loved your comment. BTW
I have been watching the interviews this week with Zuckerberg. It will be interesting to see if FB doesn't lose some of it's appeal in the near future. Although, it seems that social media in general is evolving into smaller and smaller bits of information. People can't be bothered to reach a whole post, or even an entire status update. Now its Instagram or Snapchat. We are reducing social media to the point that we just use a picture and no words need to be read.
Sadly, I don't think all those tweets were joking. I think there is a segment of younger people that are into current trends so completely that never have paid attention to "what came before now." But you are right, of course, the majority of people are very aware of who the Beatles were and their legacy probably will still be going strong when some of the current celebrities are long forgotten. I don't think we will be talking about Daft Punk 30 years from now (there is a chance I won't be around to confirm that).
I haven't been watching any of the awards shows lately. I usually do enjoy watching the Academy Awards but this year I have hardly seen any of the movies. With husband being in Germany so much this year, I just didn't get to the theater as much.
I'm waiting for Twitter to choke on a #hotdog and die.
Maybe it's already chewing on the #hotdog now and it won't be long before it #tweetslasttweet. Is there a social media grave yard where one get's buried next to MySpace and Friendster?
"why does Jay Z always look so unhappy. He's super rich and seems to have an OK life...can't he smile from time to time?"
RIGHT?! SERIOUSLY.
Also yes, there should be an easier way to control how you promote your blog on FB!
And I will never get over people not knowing who Paul McCartney is. That's just BAD PARENTING! Lolz!
This will probably make us sound like Captain No-Fun but we tried Twitter and gave up on it long, long ago. For me the problem is those 15.2 million tweets all going out at once. Anything you say is lost in a sea of crap. For example, we'd post something on Facebook and get anywhere from 10-30 likes and comments. We'd post that same thing on Twitter and MAYBE get one response. If we were lucky.
I mean, if John Q. User tweets every intimate detail of his life up to 100 times a day, and we only tweet once, how can we expect anyone to ever read what we say? Can anyone even hear us through all of the "OMG I ate waffles today they were awsum! #WAFFLENATION" and "Skipped school today cuz I'm a badass #YOLO #SWAG" nonsense?
Hello, helloooooo...?
I don't think that makes you sound "un-fun" at all." (of course that is coming from Her Majesty the Queen of the Kingdom known to all as Bitchyville)
I totally agree with you. I don't understand the attraction of Twitter at all. It's not interactive in the slightest. Really, isn't it just to stroke the egos of celebrities to see the gazillion lemmings that follow them? It's not even as forward thinking as the old fashion chat rooms as it isn't interactive discussion.... just a constant ticker-tape of snarky comments. What's the point. The only time I ever tend to look at it is if I am wanting to see the masses verbally tear away the flesh from the bones of celebrities. You can see that my kingdom isn't such a friendly place.
HOWEVER...once in a while there is a nugget of gold. I loved when Alicia Keyes sent a tweet to Kim and Kanye...saying "Really guys? You named your kid North? That's like me naming my kid "CAR".
Crap, I am old. Really? People don't know the name Paul McCartney? Perspective is everything. Anyway, I once wrote a post called, "What I will Tweet if Santa Brings Me a Smart Phone". It was in Nov of 2010 or 11, I think. Then I proceeded to never tweet any of those things because, my God, who has the time for all this social media shit? Oh, I'm sorry. Are you down with the occasional swear word? tweet me.
If you only knew how fine I am with an occassional swear word. I have such a potty mouth but I try to limit it to only those that I know are OK with it. If I knew your Twitter name I would of responded with a "Yes, this shit is getting old."
I agree this whole social media thing has gotten out of hand. Last Sunday, I was at a Superbowl party and one of the more astute among the group said...Look up everyone...because every single person in the room had their noses down looking at smart phones. We no longer can communicate to each other even when we are sitting in the same room.
I am in charge of social media at work and I can't see the point of it for personal use. Really. For our organization, it connects us with an audience we wouldn't otherwise have...people who are fucking around instead of working :)
Who is Sir Paul? REALLY?! I saw him walk by in New York once when I was babysitting, in college. I told the kids, "Guys, I think I just saw one of the Beatles." They both looked down at the pavement and said, "A beetle? Where?"
I think you have a distinct advantage over me. You know what the heck you are doing. I just don't understand Twitter....which, of course, makes me not nearly as smart as the average 11 year old.
Too funny about the "a beetle? Where?" While it seems just inconceivable that younger people don't know who Paul McCartney is I am continually Googling some of the current pop starts as I have no clue who they are. If Punk Daft hadn't won the Grammy, I would of thought that was some type of joke. ERRR..actually...even though they won...I think they are a joke. Robots? Really??
Well that's what happens when there's lots to talk about!
I use twitter to follow writers I like. It's an easy way to go thru my daily reading list rather than go thru a bunch of websites. You can also avoid paywalls as well by clicking on the twitter link instead, but those days are rapidly declining. I used to tweet for grins but now do so maybe once every 3 months. But I still check my feed every day for my daily reading list.
Obviously, you know how to use it. I am pretty much limited to reading a bunch of one-liners by people that are way funnier than I am. I just don't seem to be good with Facebook or Twitter.
You watch the Grammies? Well I'm impressed. Since I only recognize the name of about 65% of the performers and know even less of the music, the Grammies for me have gone the way of the dodo bird.
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