A factor key to understanding the comic I have chosen is the knowledge of social networks and how important and engrained they have become in popular culture. The comic references Twitter, and without at least a basic understanding of what Twitter is the comic loses all of its humor.
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging side that enables its users to send messages in 140 characters or less. These messages have become known as “tweets,” and the act of sending tweets, is called “tweeting.” These tweets are sent out to the author’s subscribers who are known as “followers.” Twitter users are also able to send out pictures using Twitpic and send out short videos by creating what is called a “bubble tweet.” Since its creation in 2006, Twitter has become one of the 50 most popular websites worldwide and is now ranked the third most used social network. Although the exact number of active accounts is not known, Twitter receives over 55 million visitors monthly, (Twitter, Wikipedia).
Part of the reason Twitter has become so much a part of our popular culture is the fact that many of the most famous celebrities have created Twitter accounts and started tweeting. Celebrities including 50 Cent, Barbara Walters, Adam Lambert, Paris Hilton, Elizabeth Taylor, Ryan Seacrest, Shaq, Jay-Z, Robin Williams, Britney Spears, Martha Stewart, and even Oprah have joined the Twitter craze. There are also many politicians who haven taken up Twittering. John McCain, Joe Biden, Al Gore, and John Edwards have all created accounts and send out regular tweets. By creating a Twitter account celebrities become extremely assessable to fans. Fans receive messages from their favorite celebrities and are even able to send them messages back.
Aside from being made popular by celebrities, Twitter has gained notoriety by aiding in political campaigns and legal proceedings, being used as an education tool, becoming an effective survey and opinion-gathering tool, as well as very prevalent use in protest. During the Iranian presidential elections, protesters used Twitter as a tool to rally support as well as a method of communication with the outside world after the government blocked several other methods of communication, (Twitter, Wikipedia).
It is hard to go a day without hearing a Twitter reference. News programs, TV shows, and radio programs are consistently making reference to something that someone has tweeted. And the lingo has become common knowledge. There are very few people who don’t know what a “tweet” is or and what is meant when someone says that they are “twittering.” It is this integration into popular culture and the obsession with tweeting the right thing that brought about the comic I have chosen. If Twitter not such a huge part of our culture, the comic would not have been created.
Without understanding the cultural context of the comic, it wouldn’t make sense. It is because Twitter is such a huge part of daily life that the comic is funny and relevant. Through the comic medium, the author was able to effectively poke fun at our own ridiculous fascination with the trendy and popular. Were it not in comic form, it may not be perceived as funny, and could quite possibly be seen as offensive. But by creating the comic, the author was able to efficiently portray what happens for many people on a daily basis and turn it into something comical and funny without insulting the millions of Twitter users.
Works Cited
"Twitter." Wikipedia. N.p., 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
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