Opinion Tech/Web

A part of me died when Britney signed up for Twitter

Remember when Twitter was elitist and cool and way geeky? When tweets actually contained thoughts or links to sweet content? When the twitter was, like, our geeky secret club of social 2.0 misfits?

Twitter is about connecting, about sharing, about helping each other through our daily geeky struggles with toasted HDs, exploding MBPs, 404s and other jedi mind tricks.

That’s all gone now because therealbritney is on Twitter. Yeah, even Britney Spears can’t get her own name on twitter. Anyway, I won’t start that rant about how some jerk took @mostlylisa on Twitter!

Stop the madness and just say NO! No Britney we will not follow you, or @ you, or retweet any of your lame blogs or blog entries. I’m glad your management team has finally discovered the power of social media, but Twitter is our world and you and your nekkid videos can take a hike off my feed.

Now say after me:

I promise to not follow Britney Spears on Twitter

Good! Now I wanna see your solemn vow in my comments!

NB. I will, however, continue to listen to your music while cleaning and doing laundry and perhaps dancing in front of a mirror with a Swiffer Sweeper.

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  • JVL
    October 20, 2008 at 9:57 AM

    I promise to not follow Britney Spears on Twitter

    nobody follows me on it anyway :(

  • Brad Ruggles
    October 20, 2008 at 10:17 AM

    Never, shall I ever, EVER follow Britney on Twitter, Facebook or anywhere else in the webosphere! Good Lord! Britney on Twitter? What is this world coming to??

  • Afif Tabish
    October 20, 2008 at 10:28 AM

    I promise to not follow Britney Spears on Twitter or any other web 2.0 site.
    Amen.

  • Stu Greenham
    October 20, 2008 at 10:31 AM

    I have to admit, as much as she’s crazy :S lol I (for comedy sake) started following her this morning! I kinda feel sorry for her sorry hun!

    :)

  • Darren
    October 20, 2008 at 10:46 AM

    So I guess the new ‘elitist and cool and way geeky’ website is FriendFeed, then? Ah well, cool is always a moving target.

  • Bruce Clarke
    October 20, 2008 at 10:48 AM

    I promise – I will not follow Britney on Twitter. Is it okay if I peek at her Tweets every now and then? Oh who am I kidding, I’m sure she’ll be showing off her Tweets all over town the next time she’s out partying!

  • M o
    October 20, 2008 at 10:49 AM

    This probably marks the end of twitter. Now, millions more people will sign up and twitter will slowly die like facebook. I don’t care if it goes away as it’s one of the biggest attention distraction technologies I use. Yes, I do use twitter.

  • Pierre
    October 20, 2008 at 10:51 AM

    I always thought Twitter was for nerds, maybe Britney is a nerd… NOT

  • Jonic
    October 20, 2008 at 11:02 AM

    I’m pretty sure that every PR agency on the planet can’t have missed Barack Obama’s successful use of Twitter.. They’re probably aiming to be next year’s “marketer of the year“..

    I won’t be following Britney, but that’s because she isn’t of any interest to me.. I’m following far too many people on Twitter as it is, and I could do with streamlining my “following” list, so there’d be no room for Britney even if I did go insane one day and decide she was worth a follow..

    I promise not to buy any of her records too.. I’ve managed the past nine years fine, so that one’s a guarantee ;)

  • Dean
    October 20, 2008 at 11:09 AM

    If it’s a few tweets a day, and it seems there is some @reply (from probably a ghost writer, hehe).

    Twitter is going more and more mainstream now. So, as the experience grows, there is some space time for her from me. Hehe.

  • Matthew
    October 20, 2008 at 11:22 AM

    Who’s Britney Spears…?

  • Benji
    October 20, 2008 at 11:29 AM

    Someone is jealous…

  • Brousse Laine
    October 20, 2008 at 11:45 AM

    Her “people” are twittering. That makes me feel a little safer.

  • Martin Leventon
    October 20, 2008 at 12:03 PM

    This is just her people and I personally dont think that her demographic are going to be twitter addicts at any point soon.

    I promise to not follow britney spears on twitter

  • Laura
    October 20, 2008 at 12:55 PM

    I solemnly swear not to follow Brit-brit on Twitter.

  • chris
    October 20, 2008 at 12:56 PM

    You won’t follow her, even for the humour factor?

  • Michael Mistretta
    October 20, 2008 at 2:22 PM

    @mostlylisa is open on Twitter now BTW and you can change your username in the settings.

  • Jim Bergman
    October 20, 2008 at 3:31 PM

    When Britney logs on to Twitter, instead of asking “What are you doing?” it asks “What were you thinking!?”

    Also just to make sure, I blocked her account. I won’t follow her, and now she can’t follow me. Whew!

  • Miiitch
    October 20, 2008 at 3:41 PM

    Okay. 1: Everyone needs to stop freaking out over her being on twitter. She isn’t the first celebrity, she isn’t the last. Granted, she’s probably causing the biggest reaction, but still.
    2: I don’t give a crap what Britney or her team has to say about anything. So I shalt not follow her. Ever.
    3: I won’t ever stop listening to Piece of Me, Break the Ice, Toxic, Outrageous, Womanizer, Gimme More, or any other Britney song that may or may not be in my iTunes library.

    And let me just say this: If Britney being on twitter brings a crapload of people onto Twitter, and it becomes the next Myspace or Facebook, I’ll leave Twitter.

  • Fred Hill
    October 20, 2008 at 4:34 PM

    I promise to not follow Britney Spears on Twitter. EVER!

  • Marisol
    October 20, 2008 at 11:05 PM

    “Remember when Twitter was elitist and cool and way geeky?” Really? Elitist…seriously? I think this is a close minded thing to say. I make Twitter what I want it to be. I follow people who share the same interests that I do.

    I read your blog and follow you on Twitter. Not anymore.

  • Leggyblonde
    October 20, 2008 at 11:52 PM

    I promise to poop on Britney Spears. That’s what I was supposed to promise, right?

  • Dennis Bjørn Petersen
    October 21, 2008 at 12:13 AM

    The only celebrity I’m following on twitter is John Cleese.

    At least he is cool enough to tweet himself and not have some representative do it.

    I think it’s cool that celebs embrace twitter. If teenagers wants to follow them, they can do that. Twitter is big enough for both geeks and celebs.

  • Twitter Roundup
    October 21, 2008 at 6:15 AM

    […] lovely Lisa Bettany, a self confessed geek, doesn’t seem to be too pleased about this but it really doesn’t bother me. It’s no different to the number of celebrities who […]

  • Steve Fishman
    October 21, 2008 at 1:12 PM

    I don’t know what twitter is, but your
    hot looking like Britney, So do some parody
    videos like Britney does,and make us all
    laugh.

  • Mike Huang
    October 21, 2008 at 4:58 PM

    I followed britney :) It’s a matter of time before all of Twitter is just spam. That is usually how social sites turn into.

    -Mike

  • Nate
    October 21, 2008 at 5:49 PM

    I think it’s amazing she can still make money in the music industry. Who’s buying it?

  • Celeron
    October 22, 2008 at 8:46 AM

    You can vow until your heart is pleased, but this is Britney Spears; I’m sure many people wished for this to come true (not me though).

    I think only smart celebrity managers realize how everything has become internet-oriented. Celebrities–popular or not–signing up to twitter (among other websites) will only make them more popular.

  • Mark Cohen
    October 23, 2008 at 6:40 PM

    Britney who?

    ;o)

  • Jamit
    October 23, 2008 at 10:47 PM

    I hear by solemnly swear not to follow britney spears on the twitter cross my heart hope to die stick a needle in my eye

  • Brandice
    October 24, 2008 at 6:16 PM

    EWWWWWW… I promise!

  • aj
    October 27, 2008 at 12:12 AM

    Ditto what Brandice said.

  • Justin - YGG
    October 28, 2008 at 12:27 PM

    I promise I will not follow her as well. I like the sane people on twitter!

  • stephen
    October 28, 2008 at 12:37 PM

    Good post, and I say so because it’s easy for everyone to weigh in on.

    While I won’t promise to ‘not follow britney’ (i don’t currently follow her, I swear) – I will promise not to perpetuate the underlying sense of entitlement that ‘famous’ folks in the real world think AUTOMATICALLY crosses over into the web2.0 world.

    If everyone did that, then that’s the best we can do.

    Now put your fangs away kids… and let britney suck in the web space like she does in the real world.

  • Bill
    October 28, 2008 at 5:44 PM

    Definitely, I’m not cool enough to be on Twitter, but we do have chickens here in NC; I hope there weren’t any real birds harmed in the making of Britney’s video.

  • Ony
    October 29, 2008 at 4:12 AM

    Taking it a bit personal, aren’t we? It’s on the web, it means everyone can use it… get over it.

  • Jonathan Hewlett
    November 9, 2008 at 4:29 PM

    I have to agree with Lisa here. I mean, how many more underground startups/sites/concepts/etc. be created before they all get converted to the mainstream and become ‘just another’ social networker/site? Will the think-tanks that produce these 2.0 wonders ever run dry I wonder?

    In Other News…

    Paris Hilton signs up for Stickam and posts live-stream PRoN! (Dear God. Run, RUN for your LIVES people!)

  • CitrusBlog
    December 19, 2009 at 8:00 AM

    really nice article, thanks ! also read this: http://www.citrusblog.net/tweetit-0-1-free-twitter-programm/

  • Lorie Bowdoin
    January 24, 2010 at 1:45 AM

    Seriously amazing posts, I don’t entirely agree so I am still enjoying this.

  • Reinaldo Laudadio
    June 20, 2010 at 12:10 PM

    The trouble with her is nearly always the same. We should only feel sorry for the poor lass. The girl should get some type of sorting herself out or life coaching or training or something like that. I really enjoyed her last record, and I’d hate to think that we wouldn’t be hearing her amazing music any more.

  • Fidelia Wachal
    October 8, 2010 at 6:31 PM

    The new record published by Britney is incredible. It exhibits she is as astonishing as always.