Twobsession

Yes, I'm obsessed. And when I say obsessed I mean really obsessed.

Twitter. Is. Amazing. Hence, my twobsession.

My twobsession, in fact, was spurred on by another obsession - a 'guilty pleasure' if you will. American Idol. For the last four months I have spent every Thursday and Friday evening glued to Fox 8 as exceptional talent was showcased. I love everything about the show - the singing, the contestants (who are everyday, ordinary, relatable people who just happen to have extraordinary voices - yes, I'm a sucker for a story of the rising underdog!), the judges (Randy's honesty, Jennifer's soft spoken demeanor and killer fashion, and Steven's eccentricity), the mentors, the production, the audience...I've even begun to like Ryan Seacrest! I love music with every fibre of my being, I have a song for each mood, no car ride or study session can happen without a tailor-made soundtrack and I've been singing ever since I was little (not well may I stress; my stage has been the shower or the car and my audience, my mother - without her consent ...I'm no Beyonce!)

My love for American Idol entered the realm of obsessive, however, when I began to go further than watching what was televised. I religiously tuned in every week to a YouTube program called 'idology' that extensively interviewed eliminated contestants and talked about the past week's performances. I spent hours reading other interviews and watching old videos of the contestants performing and, of course, I liked my favourites on Facebook and followed them on twitter... (cue my twobsession!) Unfortunately American Idol finished last week as Phillip Phillips was crowned as the winner (One of my very favourites!!), which means one obsession had to end...or so I thought.

As we were required to create a Twitter account for the purposes of this course, I wasn't completely foreign to the social networking site. However it was initially solely a means of news consumption. I made a new twitter two weeks ago, just before the finale of Idol, with the intention of fuelling my obsession, knowing full well that it would soon come to an end and believing that my new account would sit there untouched once the show was done.

Boy was I wrong.

I had created a monster.

I started to follow all my favourite celebrities, bloggers, photographers, television shows, charities, news networks and more. Within 48 hours I was following 100 different people/groups. My automatic trawl through the Facebook newsfeed whenever boredom (or a need for distraction) hit, was replaced with a scroll through twitter as I 'favourited' and 're-tweeted' like a pro. I set my morning alarm five minutes earlier than normal to go through tweets that were posted throughout the night and do the same before bed. Never has anyone been able to be so intimately in-touch with seemingly 'untouchable' celebrities or those in positions of power. You can mention them in a post or reply to their tweet and they are directly notified, free to reply if they wish. And they do!

Previously, a webpage dedicated to a notable individual was handled by hired professionals, payed to act on that person's behalf. Any communication was indirect if not non-existent. Now, with the ability of Internet-enabled phones, anyone can tweet at the touch of a button from wherever they may be. We are given a unique view into their lives as performers and photographers take us backstage, celebrities take us into their homes and charities like World Vision take us into war-torn countries. We feel like we intimately know the people behind each tweet. If I thought I was emotionally invested in those I admire before, I am their best galfriend now. I feel like I know them better than their own mothers! So, although American Idol has finished, my obsession remains as I follow their every move through the wonderful world of twitter. I even watched Jessica Sanchez (American Idol runner up, a 16 year old powerhouse performer) on 'live stream', linked from her twitter, for an hour as she mindlessly sang, hummed, went about her evening and occasionally answered questions people were posting on the page from her DC hotel room late the other night. I feel as though I have officially entered stalker town let me tell ya...but I loved every second of it. Now I can add 99 more obsessions to my list thanks to those who I have followed on twitter. Ahhhhmmmaaazzziinnnggg! I'm in lurve.

And, what's more, all this is created in the miniscule space of 140 characters.

Magic!