'The greatest thing about Kanye's use of Twitter is that it is really him,' says the founder of Social Media Club.By Eric Ditzian
Kanye West
Photo: Theo Wargo/ WireImage
For anyone who thought Kanye West might slow down his giddy Twitter pace since signing on to the social-networking site last month, you thought wrong. In the last 24 hours alone, the hip-hop superstar has pounded out 23 tweets, ranging from the existentially vague ("Curate your life") to the excessively bland ("I love the Summer but I can't wait for Fall") to the predictably boastful ("Ima make a book of my tweets").
And just as 'Ye can't get enough of Twitter, neither can his fans. He's already reeled in over 570,000 followers, a number that should only rise as he continues to engage his audience. Last week, we checked in with some social media experts to get their takes on West's embrace of Twitter, and in the days since, Web authorities have continued to send in their commentary to MTV News. Some are supportive of the "Power" singer's style, while others are less than impressed. But one thing is clear: These days, no one involved in pop culture or social media can stop talking about Kanye West.
"The greatest thing about Kanye's use of Twitter is that it is really him," said Chris Heuer, the founder of Social Media Club. "It's not some PR flack's idea of what he should be saying or what he should be doing with this — he is personally and directly connecting with his fans and his fans are going to love him even more because of it. In politics, they say go to the base — Kanye is doing this brilliantly."
Of course, not everyone agrees that he's connecting in a Twitter-friendly manner. Dave Malby, a social media whiz with more than 100,000 Twitter followers, maintains that Kanye is missing the point of Twitter, since he currently doesn't follow anyone and rarely tweets back to his followers.
"I find that he is not engaging with his fans. This is not what Twitter is about. Twitter is about engagement and interaction," Malby said. "Twitter is two-way communication. Kanye would make a much bigger impact if he did what other celebrities won't do: interact with their fans."
But perhaps West is starting to understand these fundamentals. Though he unfollowed his lone follower after giving the guy some unwanted attention, in recent days West has stepped up his re-tweeting of his followers. And, even more importantly, he's kept up a steady stream of random, wacky and utterly Kanye-esque missives.
"His posts are entertaining and yet they contain an unexpected depth and substance," said Kim Sherrell, a new-media-savvy filmmaker with over 70,000 Twitter followers. "Like George Carlin or Larry David, Kanye excels at creating humor by examining the different ways in which our world is messed up. He is pretty good at observing contradictions."
"Kanye's ability to reflect on his situation while tossing punches at some embarrassing realities the way he does, well, these are some of the reasons why I think he is a force to be reckoned with," she added. "He comes across as a very rich, but deep and somewhat sincere guy who is just going through his day and learning how to get his tweet on."
Yet as he continues to get his tweet on, there's always the chance that Kanye — a public figure who hasn't always exercised good judgment in the public sphere — will once again get himself into trouble. Here again, however, the very social media instrument that lands him in hot water could prove to be the key to making amends.
"An increase in message volume could certainly get you in trouble, just as an increase in Courvoisier consumption can," said Heuer. "That said, in the modern social-networking-enabled world, the most important thing isn't necessarily that we do something wrong or say something stupid, it's how we respond afterwards that shows the true measure of the man. Is the person able to admit they made a mistake? Can they apologize sincerely and honestly? As more and more celebrities come online, more and more of the pop culture audience will see their true selves and realize they are only human, just like we are."
What do you think of Kanye's latest tweets? Does he need to engage more with fans/followers? Tell us in the comments!
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