Yes, I love twitter – in defense of social media

My mum’s friends are all in the local pub. That’s where they chill out, complain about their family and work, gossip about the people they know or just heard of, make jokes. They choose the music in the jukebox and sing along.
“Did you know he wrote this about what his daughter did one day?” they’d say.
“He’s getting a divorce now” the other would add.
“Mary said there won’t be new music until next year!” they’d complain.

My grandmother would sit by the radio to hear music as she worked in the kitchen. She’d go dancing with her girls, eyeing up the cute musician who played the club and would leave tomorrow. She’d wait after, chatting to her friends but waiting for that guy come up to her. Her behaviour would be the topic of the street the next day, she’d know but she wouldn’t care. Life is too short.

People say things change. That being online means we don’t live in the real world, that we’re missing out.

I say, we’re still the same. We talk, share thoughts, express emotions, make connections. For you, speaking is easy. You like looking into people’s eyes and think that you know them. You draw conclusions based on how they look, what they wear, how they speak. It helps you find people who are similar to you, and understand the way you think.

For me, speaking is hard, writing is easy. In the online world I can be myself. You won’t judge my accent, my weight, my scars. I can make real connections without having preconceptions about people. It doesn’t matter who I’m talking to: they can be a man or a woman, black or white, they can live on the other side of the world or the next street.

We’d talk about the things we love, music, films, books. We’d make jokes, we’d gossip about people we know, and people we don’t. We’d complain about work, school, family. We’d open up to each other and make memories of conversations, good times and bad. We might meet one day in person, or we might never look into each other’s eyes.

You say, go out into the real life. I say real life is inside you, physics don’t define it. Let me spend it the way I want.

About Miss Andi

Learning to be unapologetically me but healthier. Shamelessly personifying my dog, Mia, who is my soulmate, though doesn't let me read as much as I used to. One day I'll finish a novel that will not save the world - but might make it smile.

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