OK, I’ll say it: I hate Twitter. As a member of the marketing / social media macrocosm, skewer me now, but I hate Twitter. To me, it’s always been that annoying friend at the movies who pokes you every three minutes to share their commentary when you’re quite clearly just trying to enjoy yourself and focus on the storyline. Yet, today I find myself on the social media site by choice and, much to my chagrin, liking it. What brought me to this point, you ask? Let’s just say the Universe brought me here.
Geeks everywhere (present company included) have watched in awe this week as the European Space Agency flung the Philae Lander at sun-orbiting comet 67P, crossed their fingers, and hoped for the best. Shockingly, the Lander, well, landed – and is hanging on as 67P hurtles through the cosmos 300 million miles from Earth. *Head explodes.*
The NPR radio reports weren’t cutting it, and I wanted some real-time information. And where does one turn for the most up-to-date coverage of everything from lunch selections to groundbreaking cosmic discoveries? Yes, I had to admit it: Twitter. Turns out the Philae Lander has one heck of a nice Twitter account – it may be devoid of cat videos and Instagrammed cuisine photos, but the view is impressive:
Not only that, but Philae is friendly and approachable, not what you’d expect of a sophisticated piece of space machinery. Its persona could have been as cold and austere as the landscape it’s exploring, but its voice is surely attracting more fans this way.
So Twitter, thank you for enabling this kind of awesome engagement. I can honestly say, I no longer wish to strap you to a comet 300 million miles from Earth and wave goodbye.
~ Trish Salge, Sr. Art Director and Science Geek, The S3 Agency
