Twitter is a social networking site that many people use to stalk celebrities, talk with friends and share links to other sites. Some people use Twitter as a means of blog where they can share their personal thoughts on anything. The University of Alabama has been an influence for the creation of numerous Twitter accounts floating around the blogosphere and being talked about on campus.
“I think the UA-related Twitter accounts are funny, but some of them are definitely better than others,” Breanna Swims, a junior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, said. “The ones that surpass the quality of others are the ones that constantly deliver funny and up-to-date tweets regarding what is happening on campus. I think the Twitter accounts have a positive effect on the University because they serve as a form of satire through which we can express our concerns with the University as a whole while also connecting with other UA students.”
Popular accounts include @NotRobertWitt, @UADennyChimes, @UglyTusk, @UAFashionPolice, @UA_Lately and more.
Creators of these sites feel they are performing well on sharing the news about the University that people need to know about. @UglyTusk is not only on Twitter, but also has a website, uglytusk.com.
“[We don’t hope to accomplish] much really,” @UglyTusk said in an emailed statement. “We’ve talked about putting on some shows, have put on some but want to do more. I really want to put on two of my favorite dance parties from back home: MMP – Madonna, Michael and Prince – and a soul dance night because if I hear another band doing awful Sublime covers I might lose it. How is Sublime still even remotely popular?”
The Ugly Tusk is a blog, group of people and movement. As stated on the website, “Mostly, the Ugly Tusk are some kids who live in Tuscaloosa and are tired of the fact that this town appears to have no culture.”
They look to change this.
“Thought this town could use a cranky commentator of some sort before The Crimson White started acting like a real paper, which it has done a fine job of this year,” @UglyTusk said in an emailed statement.
The Ugly Tusk’s latest stories online cover topics like Girl Talk, the LSU online store hacking and also references Stephen Swinson.
@UA_Lately has all of the latest news and words on the important happenings at UA and in Tuscaloosa. Their name derived from their undying love for Chelsea Handler’s show, “Chelsea Lately.”
Their goals for the account are clear.
“UA_Lately is not meant for any nefarious or malicious purpose,” @UA_Lately said in an emailed statement. “Our goal truly is to say what we think. It just so happens that what we think is extremely funny and usually also happens to be what other people are thinking and not saying.”
Many of these UA-inspired accounts are aware of each other, but what do they think about one another?
“[@UAFashionPolice] seem to be real into dressing like their parents and have zero interest in dressing like young folks,” @UglyTusk said. “I think a real @UAFashionPolice Twitter that doesn’t use phrases like fratdaddy and actually knows something about fashion could be a worthwhile venture. I don’t think this person actually knows anything about fashion.”
@UAFashionPolice and @UA_Lately are somewhat like counterparts, and frequently exchange mentions on Twitter.
“We consider ourselves on equal footing with her and that is completely fine with us,” @UA_Lately stated.
While @UA_Lately does not know about other accounts such as @UglyTusk and @NotRobertWitt, they do not approve of @theUAGossip, who they claim has stolen their tweets.
Some students feel these accounts add entertainment to a sometimes monotonous college life, and said it’s interesting to see what they will tweet next.
“I think someone created these accounts because they wanted to not only provide humor for the student body, but also to connect with other UA students in a manner other than academics,” Swims said. “Twitter allows people to discuss things they have in common in a way that is easy, efficient and portable.”
