Twitter Shock

I've been hearing an awful lot about this whole Twitter thing lately. Everyone always seems to be tweeting something or another. In truth, I created a twitter account about 3 years ago, tweeted twice, both times with the sole intent of amusing my friend, lost interest and forgot my password. However, lately I've been thinking maybe I should re-join the bandwagon. Get the Tarreyn Land word out via 140 character bursts. So I started doing some research on the whole twitter-sphere. And what I discovered really freaked me out. I'm going to explain my surprise through sharing my thoughts on some of the top twitter user rankings based on followers. It's enough of what I need to see. 


Number one is Lady Gaga. This I get. She's fabulous. 
The next 5 are music superstars like Justin Bieber and Rihanna. Ok, I understand this - they're hip-hop and rad and from my understanding 15 year olds love to tweet. I can see it. 
HOWEVER. At number 7 on the TOP twitter followers is where my mind was blown and my entire appreciation for pop culture dissolved into a black hole of confusion... 
Number 7 in terms of most twitter followers is: Kim. Kardashian. 
Now, I don't mean to knock anybody or cast stones, but the Kardashian phenomenon as a whole completely and totally boggles my mind. It's just really not my thing. I'm sure they're lovely people - I've actually heard from people who've met them that they are. I give them mad props for how industrious they are, and their capitalization on alliteration, and there's no denying Kim is booty-licious. But Number 7?!
Being number 7 in terms of twitter followers puts Kim Kardashian in front of:
Barack Obama. I don't want to get into politics, I won't get into how I loooovvee Barack. However, regardless of your likes or dislikes or political stance, he is the president of the United States. Kim Married-for-72-days Kardashian has more followers than the PRESIDENT...
A couple down the list at number 11 is Youtube. Not a video, not a certain subscriber, but ALL of youtube. Youtube! The most powerful video sharing system on the internet, used by almost every single person I know, is 5 numbers down from Kim "I'm-going-to-run-for-mayor-of-Glendale-because-it's-like-Armenian-town" Kardashian. 
Oprah and Ellen are at 13 and 14, respectively. Oprah? Ellen? Two of the greatest and most influential women ever are behind Kim my-perfume-smells-like-celebutante Kardashian?! What kind of role model system are we dealing with? Do I want to someday have a daughter who cares more about what a smoky eyed reality star has to say than Oprah or Ellen who have broken the mold in terms of social expectations and have helped millions of people?
Kim has more TWITTER followers THAN TWITTER. 
It just doesn't seem to connect for me. 


At number 34 is Klohe Kardashian. While not quite as startlingly high as her sister, Mrs. Odom has more followers than Bill Gates. And J. Lo and the NBA. And the NEW YORK TIMES. She is fifty-six numbers higher than the DALAI LAMA. Kim and Klohe Kardashian, who are known for a cable reality television show are more appealing to twitter followers than the man who has brought spiritual enlightenment to millions. What is this saying about our culture's interests and scope of social enrichment? What is it telling us about the trends of entertainment and social networking? I'm not sure, but I can't say that it fills me with optimism...


To further indulge my alarmed curiosity, I thought I'd look into some twitter feeds just to see what they are offering. Here are some tweet examples and their author's ranking. You tell me if you see a difference in content, or feel that perhaps some of the twitter popularity is misplaced...

• Kim Kardashian (#7): Fact! I love them sooo much! RT @KimberlyK411: • Kim said her favourite animal is seahorse.
• Michelle Obama (#8 via Barack Obama): Equal pay is more than just a women's issue - it affects every American family.
• Kim Kardashian (#7): Friday the 13th! Owwww!
• Oprah Winfrey (#13): I never asked to be bigger. I asked to be better. Never asked to be successful asked to be effective.
• Kim Kardashian (#7): Chat Roulette isn't as fun in the day time as it is at night!
• Deepak Chopra (#933): The only way to solve a problem is to expand your awareness.
• Kim Kardashian (#7): Nap Time!
• Anderson Cooper (#228): Have you had a conversation with your child about race?
• Kim Kardashian (#7): Ran a little longer on the treadmill today! 
• Dalai Lama (#90): Having a more compassionate attitude helps you communicate more easily with your fellow human beings.
• Kim Kardashian (#7): I need a drink! LOL!

I just want this to be taken in as sociological evidence. Let us be conscious of which contributions to our world we are paying attention to, and what content we perpetuate. Thanks to any one reading this... I'll let you know if I decide to re-boot my twitter account...