Tweet Envy?
Hello, Internet. My name is Felicity White and I have Tweet Envy.
Surprisingly enough, my Facebook world and my Twitter world have only a few overlapping contacts. Recently I noticed that after reading updated tweets I felt a little blue – that kind of blue that has no real point of origin but manifests as a general lack of serotonin. Sort of a PMS-blue or a forgot-to-eat-lunch-blue. However, reading Facebook status updates rarely made me feel that way; in fact, quite the opposite.
After analyzing the contacts on each list, I recognized the problem. My Facebook contacts are, in general, my friends and family. Real people that I actually know and live life with on at least a semi-regular basis. If I’m not related to them or live near them, I probably have been in some kind of everyday life kind of relationship with them at some point in my history (school, church, work, etc.).
Twitter relationships are different for me. While I follow several family members and friends, I also follow a lot of people that I would otherwise never know. And, for awhile, this was one of the great joys of Twitter: new people, new experiences, a taste of different lifestyles. But that’s when it started getting hairy for me.
Via Twitter I learned that a bunch of really cool people live “on campus” in Franklin, Tennessee, a charming historic area outside of Nashville. I never knew I wanted to live in Franklin, Tennessee!
Via Twitter I learned that some people visit the beach every year. Every year, people! My son is eight and he has NEVER BEEN TO THE BEACH! I never knew I wanted to go to the beach every year!
Via Twitter I learned just how much free time celebrities actually have every day and it is A LOT!
Via Twitter I learned that EVERYONE exercises more than I do!
Via Twitter I learned that so-and-so is getting ANOTHER book deal and so-and-somebody-else is co-writing songs the church will be singing for decades. O.K. – So I’ve sort of always known I’d like to write books and songs. : ) But apparently, I’m not too happy to read about other people doing it all the time while I sit in my windowless, non-charming office in the northeast corner of land-locked Missouri. Apparently, THAT is just too much.
But, believe it or not, I don’t think I’m woman enough to just shut down my Twitter account altogether. Instead, I think a simple change of perspective is in order. After all, I may not take them to the beach, but my kids are pretty darn gorgeous and fun to be with. A water tower with a cross on top may be the closest thing I have to a city skyline, but I live with a lot of amazing people who are trying, like me, to the best of their ability to love God in this place. And I’m pretty sure what they say about the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence is true.
I am, however, considering a new approach to my tweets.
Got any suggestions for how I could use my tweets to give someone ELSE tweet envy?! : )
You alREADY give tweet envy, you’re the coolest thing since post-it notes were invented, I KNOW this causes tweet envy in your fans.
I just know it.
=)
Tiff – That is so sweet because post-it notes are AWESOME. Just like you!
Well, I’m envious I didn’t write this!
Wanna know what I envy on Twitter? It seems as if all the cool people of Franklin and/or famous people know each other!
Of course, they could just be twitter friends… ya know… like facebook friends only less?
Thanks, Bethany! And I agree, it is the real-life connections and opportunities that make me envious. (I’m reading a book on virtue right now, so I’ll get back to you on how to fight jealousy!)
I remember when we went on our cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary, we met many people on the boat who had been on a cruise every year!?!?!, sometimes more than one a year! We had waited 25 years to do this ONCE! At first I was envious, but then I realized that I didn’t like the “cruise” environment well enough to do it AGAIN, let alone several more time. I didn’t like being around all that cigerette smoke, gambling, drinking. Being on the water for this litte girl from KS was almost like being on another planet, and we found ourselves relishing getting OFF that boat at every opportunity. Lets just say that when we had the opportunity to live someones elses experience for 7 days, we found that our own lives were pretty darn nice, and couldn’t wait to get back to it. Now when I watch those cruise commercials on TV, or on the internet, I just grin, and realize that it isn’t quite what that wide angle lenses, and those ad agencies make it out to be.
When I read face book, I’m struck by the number of people who apparently spend much more time at their computers than I do, taking quizzes, looking for eggs, and (I know this is my opinion) wasting time. When I first got on face book I told Roger that I felt like I was in a room where everyone was talking, but no one was really listening. I have a feeling you are one of the few that is actually listening.
I appreciate this post. It makes me glad I DON’T twitter.
Yep, Andrea, that is a perfect example!
I wrote a post almost identical to this for one of Nathan B.’s guest blog contests. I totally have tweet envy, which has turned into total tweet exhaustion. But like you, I’m not quite willing to let it go. I’m convinced of its usefulness. To a point.
How many celebrities can say they planted the seeds with their very own hands, and played with their very own kids, in their very own SUNFLOWER FORT?!?!?! They have tons of time because they have people do everything for them, and don’t really “live” their own life.
How many of those people who go to the beach “every year” have husbands who would secretly plan to have his parents come in to keep the kids while he sweeps his wife off to “the city” for a great couple of days?!?!? In reality, the annual beach trip is probably a lot of griping at everyone to “get in the car already” and “don’t stay in the water too long” and “we can’t afford that” and a bunch of other things they’ll never let you see.
Point being, take those kind of tweets for what they are: someone trying to sound interesting to the rest of the world…
On the other hand, I only follow a handful of folks/companies on twitter. The MOST useful thing is the Credit Card processing vendor that I follow tweets when they have outages, so I know what’s going on with them. That’s great, because usally when there’s an outage, you can’t get to them by phone. THAT I care about…I could really care less if Ashton bought Demi another silky dress of fancy watch…
My two cents worth, take it or leave it!
Serenity – “tweet exhaustion” is another fantastic term for our age!
Carol – you are HILARIOUS! And I really hadn’t even thought of using Twitter for anything useful such as a credit card company. That would rub the shine off a little, wouldn’t it?
And you are all right: I have a very tweet worthy life! Thanks for the reminders.
As I said on Twitter, we could always conspire to create ridiculous made-up tweets when we’re feeling blue.
Seriously, our lives are tweet-worthy – which is the beauty of Twitter, after all. I think it was conceived as a way to share ordinary life – though, according to Emily Byrd Starr, “there isn’t any such thing as ordinary life.” Anyway, I think sunflower forts and new puppies are totally tweet-envy worthy. You have a fun life.
It’s true. Franklin is cool. I lived there for six years. The only thing that could peel me away a year ago was a chance to move to Hawaii. I often long to go back to Franklin – and who knows, I may end up back there. But Twitter is a great way to envy that delightful, interconnected community in downtown Franklin. I can’t wait to go back and visit.
Great blog, btw. Fun stuff.