Saturday, October 2, 2010

Who are the pillars of Twitter?

Q: What was the first noteworthy observation since joining Twitter?
A: The hubs of information.

If Kevin Pollak's Chat Show has taught me nothing, it's taught me that many people follow Oprah, Paris, Demi, Tyra, Gaga and Britney on Twitter. These are people I don't yet have an interest in following.

As of posting, I am following 76 people. I know none of them personally save two. I think that's the way I may want it. The largest chunk of those 74 unknowns are comics, or comedic actors. The rest are rounded out by bands/musicians or sites such as Texts from Last Night or Pitchfork.

But there are three, that although are celebrities in their own right, have a force beyond most on Twitter. I call them Pillars of Twitter because they are apparent hubs of information that pass what's Twitter-worthy onto the masses. From my early impressions, I seem to be currently following at least 3 Pillars:

Roger Ebert @ebertchicago: Noted for being a film critic, currently tweeting at an amazingly high volume. He tweets past articles/interviews of people and spreads current information like a trusted friend who forwards you links.

?uestlove @questlove: Noted for being the drummer for The Roots, currently a self appointed music snob and pop cultural radar analyst. I remarkably feel more cool following him that if I did not.

Alyssa Milano @Alyssa_Milano: Noted for knowing who the boss was, currently a beautiful human being on Twitter. I can't quantitatively explain her tweets. She has posted a few "guides to Twitter" that have been helpful and she's like watching Spanish Language Television.

Allow me to explain: I loved watching Spanish Language Television as a kid. I didn't have cable, so anything on TV beyond the major networks was always refreshing to watch - even if I didn't understand it. Most times, the shows featured highly attractive women and I would trick myself into thinking that if I watched enough Sabado Gigante I'd end up learning how to understand Spanish. I'm following Ms. Milano with the enthusiasm of a small kid having a crush on an unattainable beauty and as a foreigner attempting to familiarize himself in a strange land.

For the record, I'm not following Ashton Kutcher.