What Type of Earthquake Tweeter are You?
We had yet another earthquake here in Southern California yesterday. It should be par for the course by now, but yesterday’s shaker had us all a little rattled – it felt like a big one! For any of us active on Twitter, we’ve come to expect a barrage of tweets after the shaking subsides – I know I like sharing my experiences with my online friends, considering we’re all wondering when the first quivers occur if this will be the big one we’ve been anticipating. Once the fear dies down, it’s kinda funny to see how we all reacted. Here’s my take on the types of #earthquake Twits.
The Comedian – This group of jokers doesn’t let a little earth movin’ stop them from a little Twitter stand up. No harm, no foul, once we know everyone’s A-OK!
If it didn’t Happen to Me it’s Not Worth Talking About – These people can’t possibly be bothered by a potential tragedy. GAWD, what’s the big deal! Sorry to annoy, but ask yourself, have you tweeted in the last several days about Lebron James or The World Cup? To each his own.
The Tough Guy – Yeah B*$%^! It’s an adrenaline rush for guys like this. Boom Boom Pow!
The Ambulance Chaser – Bless her heart, I do appreciate the concern.
Holier Than Thou – Listen guys, we haven’t forgotten Haiti. Trust me, every time the earth shakes these days, which is frequently, we thank our lucky stars that we live in California with its sound structures. It doesn’t mean we can’t talk about what we felt, and how we reacted.
The One Upper – It’s not a competition. We are reacting to something that just happened, and we’re taking it all in and communicating with each other. This doesn’t have to take away from what you are going through.
Confused Substance Abuser – Earthquakes provide a natural high, ok?
Worst Hangover Ever – I saw a lot of these. Question? Isn’t it a little early (or late) to be hungover?
Aspirational – Ask yourself this question: Is the big one really something to be excited about? Trust me, no.
The Earthquake Virgin - Sorry to disappoint you. Hopefully next time a tree will topple on your car for a greater WOW factor.
The Opportunist – How can I use this to my advantage? I am an expert after all.
The SoCal Native – Earthquakes! What a snoozefest! I’m such a veteran of this stuff. Rawr!
If I used your tweet, just remember it’s all in good fun. So, what kind of earthquake Twitterer did I forget? What kind are you?
I’m glad your safe and I enjoyed your take on the earthquake tweets, made me laugh. I’m one of those people who are glued to the TV and Twitter when I hear something happened (maybe a natural disaster Cravitz) Sometimes if it wasn’t for Twitter I would have no idea anything happened so I like having you guys give updates….Safely!
Rachel,
I agree – Twitter is my place for breaking news as well! Thanks for reading!
Rachel
OMYGAW!
Rachel, I love this “tongue-in-cheek” post – it is so timely and SO accurate! I, fortunately, did not encounter The One Upper, Holier Than Thou, or If it Didn’t Happen to Me it’s Not Worth Talking About. Natural disasters are nothing to scoff at. The next time Mother Earth (or insolent humans bothering Her) throws up in another state, I’ll be sure NOT to fall into any one of these categories!
Looking forward to more reactions on this post (especially from those listed ;P)!
~Cheryl
@CheElizaga
Cheryl,
Thanks for the comment and glad you recognized some people there!
Rachel
While not your question, I wonder whether a hashtag should be specific or general. Meaning, when I see a #earthquake hashtag, I assume it is a tweet about quakes in general, not about a specific quake occurring. What’s your take?
Ari,
I’m not sure, but when a quake is happening, I don’t know how quickly anyone could come up with the universal hashtag that everyone would use. I think #earthquake helps us all connect immediately. Unfortunately we don’t have time to plan.
Rachel
Rachel: This was funny. I like the tree toppling on the car bit. I posted about 4 tweets about the quake yesterday. And for those criticizing us for not caring about Haiti, take this! My friend Lisa Coulapides and her daughter from San Diego leave today on a mission trip to Haiti. The quake yesterday made me wonder and care even more about the folks in Haiti.
My parents survived the awful tornado that blew threw their high rise in downtown Fort Worth years ago. I would understand if everyone who experienced that was comparing notes on Twitter that day!
Jan,
Thanks for reading! I think people just don’t stop and think things through. It’s the same for any tragedy. Just silliness!
Rachel