Expanding My Worldview, Thanks Twitter

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Over the past few years Twitter has become my main social media channel.  And it just dawned on me that Twitter has changed the way I think about the world.

It wasn't in some revolutionary moment of social media championing or seeing a social movement spread.  It's been much simpler and more subtle than that.

What was the key that changed my worldview?

Timezones.

It sounds silly.  I mean, I've always known there were Timezones, right?  I've known how they've worked and I've traveled to other countries enough in my life to experience serious jet lag (most countries are across an ocean from the U.S.)

But Twitter is what finally made Timezones sink in.  When my typical work day is starting to wind down all my Western European friends are going to bed.  When I wake up in the morning I get to see what my Australian and New Zealand friends are doing with their leisure hours the next night.  I have friends around the world that wrap up their work day as I start mine.

Not to mention that I'm a freelancer and I work weird hours.  Sometimes I'm still awake at 4am working.  Other days I'm waking up at 5am to start my work day.  It's weird and random and I love it... but there's always one of my Twitter friends awake regardless of the hour.

The biggest change has come because I've internalized Timezones in a way that I never had before Twitter.  I now have a real life grasp on what's going on around the world at any time of day.

It's really cool.

So thanks Twitter.  I owe you one.

Comments

  1. scott rankinOctober 1, 2015 at 12:59 PM

    It definitely is great for that! Years ago a friend of mine was doing her honors paper in psychology on the impact of MUDs and the view of the world. The theory being that encountering people from various places in the world would make peoples world view shrink - we would start to see that we were all interconnected and most of the time very similar in our wants and desires.

    I know for me it has opened up a world of wonderful people - living in an island country with a total population of 4 million its been great to see the benefits and struggles those of you living in massive countries face.

    So yah, thanks Twitter, I owe you one too :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VoidOctober 1, 2015 at 1:09 PM

      It's so cool! I love interacting with people from around the world. It definitely begins to feel like a smaller place once you actually know people living all over the world.

      Delete

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