Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

Types of Twitter Users

- BY RIHAAB MOWLANA

The Hashtag Addict - They love their hashtags, it seems. So much so their tweets will have more hashtags than actual content

I like to think that Twitter is the window to your soul, in 140 characters. Try as you might, eventually, your true personalit­y always shines through, probably triggered by a tweet that will ruffle your feathers.

People utilise these 140 characters in a plethora of ways: to share their opinions, to gain fame, to promote themselves and to sweet in support of their favourite celebs. It's also a breeding ground for budding keyboard warriors.

Here are a few of the most common types of twitter users you will come across.

The Egg - Twitter neophytes who haven’t matured beyond the “egg” that signified their newbie status to the twitterver­se. These users possibly joined twitter to see what the hype was about, tweeted something along the lines of “Hi tweeps” or “Finally got on twitter” and upon no acknowledg­ement of that tweet by the twitter populace, went dark, never to be seen again. The Celeb Stalker / Fan -

These users joined twitter for the sole purpose of stalking their favourite celebs. Unsurprisi­ngly, their twitter timeline is full of tweets in support of said celeb which includes, but is not limited to memes idolising and aggressive­ly promoting said celebs music/ movies/games, or mostly just fighting fans of rival celebs. They are ideal the go-to source for news about your fave.

The Retweeter - Some users are perpetual newbies gathering their bearings in the twittersph­ere, trying to figure it out all while attempting to gain more followers. But alas, not all of them are witty

or are inspired or feel like they have something worthwhile to tweet. So they incessantl­y retweet content by more establishe­d tweeps or something off a Verified account.

The Hashtag Addict - They love their hashtags, it seems. So much so their tweets will have more hashtags than actual content. Sometimes though, entire sentences are hashtagged, which makes for infuriatin­g reading a la “Chilled out day #lka #colombo #Sltweeps #fun #family #home #chillvibes” The Guru / Lifestyle Coach -

Usually the kinds of people who have a longer “following” list than a “followers” list. They revel in imparting wisdom and stolen quotes to their painstakin­gly amassed followers. These Dalai Lama wannabes lack any speck

of originalit­y and their oftentimes questionab­le advice is better taken with a pinch of salt.

Self Promoters - One of the most common types of twitter users who strive to turn themselves into a personal brand. Their twitter bios are usually long owing to them projecting themselves as a Jack of all trades. They will tweet incessantl­y and aggressive­ly market themselves in their quest for more followers. The Armchair Warriors -

These users have an opinion on everyone and everything. Their no holds barred attitude makes their account an interestin­g account to follow. But it soon gets tedious when you realize all they ever do is pick fights and add their two cents to every sordid matter- however misguided and ill informed their opinions may be.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Sri Lanka