Twitter

Twitter is, as many have said before me, absolutely amazing. Yes, it allowed Iranians to tell their stories, yes celebrities and pundits have the same 120 characters as @guy2skreww (Whitman would love Twitter in the same way he loved grass). Twitter is most likely the future.

But my favorite part? I love how Twitter allows me to tailor my world. Today I searched for NYRB. I came up with two sets of tweets-- those who are raving about that thoughtful piece on online journalism (or the Chabon article-- what up, behind on your reading!) and those who are reacting to some sort of sporting event (soccer? minor league baseball? I have no idea.). I was able to follow the people who interested me, and now I have two choices. Either I can follow the "public timeline", with its abbreviations and low-riding pants and Miller Lites, or I can switch to "my view". Knopf publishing, NPR, that girl who works at Conde Nast traveler... my timeline wears trousers, is concerned with spelling, and has a polite regard for large domestic beers.

It's like my first iPod, which allowed me to go to large, noisy public places but still feel safe and cradled by the familiar; with my earbuds in, I didn't care what was going on around me. Now Twitter lets me handpick the residents of my Twitter City. Oh how I love turning the egalitarian into the elitist!