Brandon Patterson

2-3-16
Engl. 1001

Preface
I appreciate the comments made on my essay to try to improve it. First I looked through
the bubbles with comments in them and changed what was suggested within them. After that I
listened to the commentaries again and periodically edited certain parts of my essay that Ms.
Coco pointed out needed some work. I chose to keep the two points of view I use in my essay the
way they are because I think they fit well, in my mind I read letters like Im having a discussion
with someone so thats how I would realistically address this. I did not make any huge overhauls
because I didnt think they were necessary, I just changed what was suggested. I tried to put in
more examples but its not really possible to go back and find tweets from years ago unless you
know the exact wording of the tweet. I think I simplified my conclusion so that it doesnt
introduce new ideas like my previous one and just expands upon my reflections.
My audience the upcoming generation just starting to use social media such as Facebook
and Twitter. I need help with structuring my intro/conclusion, transitioning to my body
paragraphs, and trying to keep the main idea clear and easy to understand. After the peer review I
edited my introduction paragraph by taking out a couple lines of unnecessary information. I also
added two more paragraphs to the end to flesh out my essay and wrap up nicely in the new
conclusion. This has helped organize my essay into a more coherent piece and stay true to its
main focus, which will help the audience readily grasp the message of my paper. I dont really
question any revisions because I think they can only benefit my essay. My three biggest concerns
are my transition between my first and second paragraph, the way I structured this as a letter
being effective, and if my audience will be able to understand my topics with the information
presented.

A Letter to Myself
Dear Past Me,
1.This letter is to help you understand how to use social media, and who better to help
you than yourself? Just listen closely and follow along carefully. Youll probably start off with a
Facebook so you can impress your real friends with how many online friends you have, but
eventually youll move on to Twitter, and thats where the fun really begins. Now, you might end
up ruining a relationship or two with a single tweet, but dont give up! During the space inbetween your romantic escapades youll also be introduced to plethora of new experiences, like
being involved in various pointless arguments over the internet and discovering the diamond in
the rough that is Weird Twitter. Lets get started, shall we?

Brandon Patterson
2-3-16
Engl. 1001

2.Starting in 4th grade I wanted a Facebook because my friends had one, but my mom
thought I was too young to have one. She was right, of course, but I didnt know that back then,
so I secretly made an account on my computer and started my digital journey. I sent out countless
friend requests to everyone at my school I could think of, prioritizing my friends and those I
thought were popular, wanting badly to join the web of gossip and interactions that I heard took
place on the site. In the first few weeks of having a Facebook I learned that the popular kids
always seemed to have more likes on their statuses than me, even when they werent very
interesting. This upset me, so I figured I had to space out my posts more by only posting once
every couple of days and improve the quality of what I was posting. Although I didnt know it at
the time, this was the first instance of me learning from my experiences and adapting to what
people wanted to see.
3.I used Facebook for a few more years, but I began to grow tired of it around 8th grade,
along with the rest of my peers. People I was friends with would rarely post anything and the
posts I did see just devolved into arguments among friends. During my sophomore year in high
school one of my friends showed me Twitter, the new trend in social media. I thought Twitter
was the most idiotic thing Id ever heard of, because tweets seemed random and pointless, but I
finally gave in and made one a few months later. Twitter is a site that lets you create an account
with very little customization, only allowing for a short biography, location, profile picture and
then a header picture, which shows up at the top of your page. Your posts can only be up to 140
characters long, a massive difference from Facebook, forcing you to condense your thoughts and
preventing people from filling up your entire newsfeed with a single post. There are no friends
on Twitter, only people you follow, (those whos tweets you want to appear on your newsfeed)
and those who follow you (those who will see your tweets on their newsfeed). You can also

Brandon Patterson
2-3-16
Engl. 1001

retweet other peoples tweets, sharing them on your page for all of your followers to view, which
is considered the highest form of praise on Twitter. Whereas Facebook is formal and shares more
complete thoughts, Twitter posts are more sporadic and riddled with slang, and before long I was
addicted. On Twitter it is acceptable to be active and post numerous times throughout the day
since each post is short, like a passing thought that you reel in and scribble down so that you can
share it with your followers.
4.I started off using Twitter like a diary, recording various funny events or thoughts I had
throughout the day, which received positive feedback from my followers. I remember my first
tweet being I finally got a Twitter #AmIDoingThisRight? At first I tried to keep my Twitter a
secret so that people from my school wouldnt find out about it in case I tweeted about them. Id
also post angry thoughts I had too, occasionally going on rants about people who really struck a
nerve with me. I used it as a mechanism to vent my problems and frustrations, which helped me
to some extent, but its never a good idea to post negative thoughts about people on the Internet
for anyone to see. There was one instance on a band trip where two guys lost a bet and had to
pretend to kiss, and I thought it was absolutely hilarious, so naturally I tweeted about it and
immediately had people retweet and favorite it. A little while later in the day I was walking up to
the bleachers at the football stadium we were at when one of the guys mentioned in the tweet
stormed up to me and grabbed my chest, seething with rage. Whyd you post that about me,
huh? Why would you do that? He shook me when he spoke and I could tell he was itching for a
fight. Chill out dude, it was just something I thought was funny. I calmly stated, smiling and
trying to avoid confrontation. Thats not cool. Delete it right now. He commanded, his anger
fading. I deleted it and proceeded up the bleachers where the whole school had been watching.
Wow, I totally thought he was gonna beat you up! I heard my friends saying. I grinned

Brandon Patterson
2-3-16
Engl. 1001

sheepishly and shrugged, I couldve taken him anyway. From that experience I learned that I
need to think more carefully before I post online; I have to consider how other people would feel
when they read the post.
5.I used to tweet at people that I followed/follow me frequently, making casual
conversation and telling jokes. Some of these people I never met in real life, but we liked each
others posts so we got along like friends. There was an intense rivalry between my high school
and another one in my district, so it was common for us to take shots at each other on Twitter. I
happened to follow two sisters from that rival school, one who is a year younger than me and the
other who is 3 years younger than me. The youngest one tweeted something about how she was
tired of going to Creek (my rival school), so naturally I replied with Lifes better at the Lake,
which was my school. Her older sister then went off on me, calling me out for flirting with a
younger girl, and all her friends agreed with her. I was pretty embarrassed and a little angry
because I hadnt been trying to flirt in the first place. From this experience I learned that I should
be cautious of what I post online and think of how others might interpret my posts.
6.Perhaps my fondest accomplishment is discovering Weird Twitter. Weird Twitter is a
sect within Twitter where accounts, usually satirical and anonymous, post jokes. Their account
names usually make no sense and add to the kind of scatter-brained posts they write, such as
nice_mustard and KeetPotato. People use these anonymous accounts to test out jokes
without fear of judgement from their peers. There are some specific formats usually used in these
jokes that make them special, but its hard to put into words. The people running the accounts
dont have to worry about conforming to societys joke formats and can write as freely as the
way they think, sharing with their followers the way their mind works and making people laugh.

Brandon Patterson
2-3-16
Engl. 1001

One of my personal favorite accounts is named Jomny Sun, who tweets a mixture of deep,
profound thoughts and hilarious jokes. Here are some examples:
jomny sun @jonnysun Jan 30

wint @dril 27 Jul 2013

*sees a bee try to quietly sneak up on me*

if your grave doesnt say "rest in peace" on it

ME: is that bee subtle or dumb

you are automatically drafted into the

WIFE: what

skeleton war

ME: bc the bee

WIFE: please dont
ME: the bee is silent

People get extremely creative with these jokes and some of them are so complex they take a few
minutes to comprehend, but I enjoy them because they stimulate my mind and are usually quite
intelligent. These jokes have made me laugh many times when Ive felt down and I appreciate
them greatly for the positive impact theyve had on my life. Weird Twitter has also shaped the
way I think about some things and bleeds into some of my posts now.
7.Facebook and Twitter have each played a massive role in shaping my digital literacy
today and I will be forever grateful to the people who have contributed. Ive learned to look at
myself from different perspectives and properly compose my thoughts and feelings when using
social media. I now know my social media profiles are an extension of my identity that peers will
use to judge me, so I have to accurately reflect me as a person. Social media is always evolving
and adapting to societys whims, but this unwavering truth will remain. Think before you post,
because the whole world is watching.