There’s no escaping the fact that social media is here to stay.
I remember my first foray with facebook in 2006. I was fresh at university (and facebook itself was only a few years old). If I remember correctly (and from what the brilliant film The Social Network written by the modern-day Shakespeare, Aaron Sorkin, suggests), it was originally limited to a handful of universities around the world. This then spread to any university and then to anyone with an email address. It has changed the way we communicate and, despite no longer being particularly hip as the younger generations have sought alternatives such as instagram and now tik tok, will always hold a place in my procrastinating heart.
I’ve always had an uncomfortable relationship with twitter. First there was the issue with it limiting you to 140 characters (which I think has now been expanded). Then there was the fact that it seemed to be primarily used for people to argue online, and that holds no appeal for me. I briefly started an account in about 2008. I followed Stephen Fry. I tweeted a few times whilst covering the May Bumps [inter-collegiate rowing races) for the Cambridge University student radio station CamFM (cur1350 in those days). The experience didn’t really float my boat (pardon the pun) and I deleted my account.
Apparently, I rejuvenated my account in 2016 (according to twitter) although I have no memory of this. I don’t know why I would have done this, or why I then removed myself from it again without tweeting even once.
Today, I rejoined twitter. I was partly inspired by Mrs Bown (@charliebown7) who has been bold enough to start tweeting to promote her writing but it’s also because we have to admit that twitter is here to stay.
Radio is my favourite medium. If I were never allowed to read, watch a play, turn on the television or visit the cinema again, I would be really sad, but if I were never allowed to tune in to the radio again, I would be broken. It is the ultimate social media, at once bringing us companionship and that most intimate of connections as it informs, educates and entertains.
If I can work out how to tweet, you can see what I have to say for myself via @tobiasbownmedia, but I’m not yet sure how what goes on there would be any different from what I put on the old, reliable facebook page. Everyone else is on twitter though, so it’s time to roll up my sleeves and properly see what all the fuss is about.
Presenter, Podcaster and Voice Over Artist 