Lifestyle

Top Tips for Twitter Beginners

Published

6 years ago

April 29, 2020

Are you just getting started with Twitter or you buy twitter followers cheap? Wondering what to do there? You’re not alone! Every day I get questions and puzzled looks when I mention it. The feeling “I don’t get it” still looms large for many. That’s OK; Twitter has a language and rules all its’ own, and takes time to “get.” I promise, it’s not you….it’s Twitter. Feel better now?

You may wonder: Is Twitter worth my time? How can I benefit from using it?

Here are a couple of reasons my answer is yes: One, It’s the fastest news and information source on the planet. Just follow your favorite local and national news and info sources. Find them by doing a search in the bar at the top of your profile, follow a few, and you’re good to go. I love local traffic alerts from stations that I have set up to text to my phone; this has saved me valuable commute time. Two, Twitter is a great way to get customer service help quickly. Who’s your cel phone provider? Do you shop at big box retailers like Target? The big names are all there. Local companies are getting in on the act; here in Charleston, Piggly Wiggly has a great Twitter presence. The reason companies are so responsive there is because unlike a call or email, your complaint is in a public timeline, meaning everyone can see it. Smart retailers address these quickly. In addition to these services, I like being part of a medium that offers lifesaving info to a worldwide audience during a crisis. During the recent natural disasters in Haiti and Japan, Twitter was a critical first source of vital info during the aftermath and recovery. This fact alone should tell you that, used well, this medium has much more to offer you than the mundane “This is what I’m doing right now” tweets.

Here are my Top Tips for Twitter Beginners:

Start with the right mindset: Think of Twitter as a conversation. Listen first, then respond. Keep tweets short and to the point, and let your personality shine. Ask questions, offer answers. Twitter’s a great back and forth medium; often, the “cocktail party” of social media conversations.

Pick a few topics of interest: Search for them, and follow users whose tweets on those subjects are interesting. How do you determine this? Click on a user name. Their profile will appear to the right of your stream from your home page. If their tweets have personality, variety, are conversational, and have links to good info, follow them. You can also do a search on people you know. In addition to Twitter itself, tools like Twellow are great for this purpose

Upload a picture of yourself to your profile. People want to know who they are talking to; this personalizes that experience for them. Spammers and bots often have no pictures. You don’t want to be confused with one of them. For backgrounds, you can choose one of Twitter’s, or create your own. Both are easily done in the account set-up process under “Settings.”

Know the rules and etiquette: Here are a few of the most important:

(1.) When you see a great tweet, don’t send as yours alone – retweet it (RT) to give proper credit.

(2.) Thank those who RT you.

(3.) Answer people who directly mention you by mentioning them. For example: @lizdeloach how can I check for tweets directed to me? Answer: “@djones click on the word ‘mentions’ just above your timeline.”

(4.) Check into Twitter, and your mentions, once or twice a day, and spread out your tweets. Don’t be a feed clogger!

Hashtags: Understand and use them wisely: They are a way of categorizing and searching for info on any topic, person, place, etc., with the # symbol in front of a word or phrase. Your city probably has a hashtag – ours is #chs. It’s used for tweets with Charleston related info. If I tweet something with a hashtag, it appears in search for that hashtag with all tweets containing the same hashtag. Be sure to use these when relevant, and not just to get a tweet into a certain list. Want to start a hashtag on a topic you like? Tweet a question or info with one, and see who else is talking about the same subject.

These are just a few tips.

I hope they help you create a meaningful and worthwhile experience there. There’s a lot more that I can help with, too. Questions? Leave them in the comment section below and I’ll gladly answer!

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.