Sharing on Twitter
April 18th, 2008 by ali
Okay, I know I’m not the only one that does this. I really like to look at other people’s houses, yards and garages. Not in a peeping Tom or stalker way but as I drive by, sometimes I catch a little glimpse into the lives of the people who live there and it’s interesting. There are families sitting around the dinner table laughing and enjoying what I imagine to be a fantastic meal, Tata patiently pulling weeds one by one out of an immaculate front yard, six custom Harley Davidsons all lined up in the driveway, huge garden filled with colorful petunias, Sponge Bob on a big flat panel TV, fishing poles and huge ice chests in the garage, homemade picnic tables and benches underneath a double wide tarp, big trampoline with an enclosure, hunting dogs in kennels next to pickup trucks — the nice list could go on without end.
Every now and then, though? I like to hear my neighbors yelling at their children to clean their rooms or see a dining table piled with papers or boxes stacked in the garage threatening to overflow into the driveway or an overgrown jungle of a yard or a rusty roof or a house painted an off color. Why? Purely selfish reasons! I like to see that other people also love their children but sometimes want to hug their offspring really, really hard . . . around the neck. Other folks have problems with clutter. We’re not the only ones who need to save money to replace the roof. Someone else out there picked the perfect paint sample in the store only to find out that it looks 10 times brighter on the house than in the store, too.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging anyone or taking joy in the misfortune of others or sending out bad vibes. I guess what fuels my voyeurism is I want to remind myself of the good things that I already have and that are to come in the future and to also have the assurance that we’re all only human. I’m not the best or the worst or the only one to take missteps and make mistakes. We all do. It’s a common experience.
I signed up with the user name “paradiseali” for a Twitter account a little over a month ago just to check it out and see what the buzz was about. I started out following a few Hawai`i people that I remember from back in the day and it just expanded from there.
And guess what?! People tweet about family, what they’re eating, about traffic and weather and surf, share cute things about their children and pets, confess that their house or office is a mess, that they unclogged a toilet, where to go for KC Drive Inn waffle hot dogs or sushi or Hawaiian food and then some. Sometimes these tweets are linked to audio/video clips, pictures, books, event sign ups, and all sorts of juicy online tidbits.
The best part is . . . I get a peek into other people’s houses/yards/offices/cars/lives without getting into my car and taking out a loan to cover the price of gas!
This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 11:45 am and is filed under Blog/Journal, Family, Food, Friends, Life, Web. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 19th, 2008 at 5:16 am
twitter seems to me to be too much effort for me. i can’t even bring myself to sign up for a bloody mary…
April 19th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Twitter is great. Unfortunately, it has it’s downfall. For me, it’s about “Quality” not “Quantity.” Try look and read between the lines. People kissing okoles to people Online. LOL
Das da TRUTH.
How can you have a personal relationship with ukapila people you don’t even know? Dey want to be in the In Crowd. heheheh
Too funny.
Good post.
I got rid of lots of “Fake Friends.”
You’ll learn.
Auntie Lynn aka Auntie Pupule
P.S. Watch out…they BITE. LOL
April 19th, 2008 at 8:58 am
@no milk I think cause you’re a writer it would feel kinda weird for you doing a group IM like that. There’s not enough space to write the kind of serious/hilarious stories you do. It’s kind of addicting for attention deficit me. I find myself struggling to pull away to do real life things, sometimes.
April 19th, 2008 at 9:32 am
@Auntie Thanks for your advice. I will definitely keep it in mind. I cannot say anything too bad, though, cause that’s how I found you!!
I not fake. In the same way that many Twitters feel more free to express themselves online than face to face, I think maybe it’s easier for a few to also be pilau. Like anything else, I just filter out what is useful information and what is just kiss ass. Sometimes the kiss ass stuff is very entertaining!
April 20th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Most of us are voyeurs to one extent or another. But gossip and voyeurism are not all bad, they are part of being a community. A little juicy gossip and suddenly your neighbor is not so much a stranger.
In these times of some form of social connections breaking down it is interesting to see what is taking it’s place. Through our electronic gadgets we become parts of new communities, some spread across the globe.
Interesting thoughts, maybe I should expand into a bigger post on my blog. Keep posting about your experience with Twitter, these new communities are fascinating…
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
@Andrew Enjoyed your post! Some deep thoughts to ponder about our changing world.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:54 am
Hey Ali!
I love this post! It’s so true about not being the only one to peek into other people’s lives. I go walking or running in my neighborhood everyday and I’m always “noticing” little tidbits about each house or person I see. Helps to make my workout a little more interesting.
But don’t look at my house! haha We started painting it last fall and then the snow came early and haven’t finished! Arrrghh!
I know what you mean about Twitter, too. I find it completely intriguing how we share some of the most obscure thoughts or information about our lives in 140 characters or less. I know so much about people I havever met - yet i feel like we’ve been friends forever. Weird, huh?
Anyways…great post. Do you mind if I add your blog to my Blogroll?
Aloha ~Kalei
April 30th, 2008 at 8:48 am
@Kalei Thanks. In a certain way, not knowing people in real life seems to make it easier for people to open up and say things that they wouldn’t in a face to face conversation. I have a feeling that while some of us are extroverted in real life, many of us are shy or quiet. We could be sitting right next to someone with similar interests and never know it but on Twitter, it’s easy to find friends and get to know folks!
I’d be so honored to be on your blogroll!