And for the right price, they can even make your tweets tighter
Story by Nadine Graham
How you can tell that you’re following a ghost? When Jay-Z tweets his laugh after a statement typed in ALL CAPS. Seems like some real jerk shit right? Nothing that the real Shawn Carter would do. Jay’s brand image is the personification of “chill”. His career blossomed unquestionably during the golden era of rap. Why would he, on Twitter no less, send an update with three exclamation points? You have 16,000+ followers, but your sister-in-law Solange Knowles isn’t one of them? C’mon dude.
Hov’s Twitter page obviously hosts an impostor. But a lot of artists are actually hiring “ghost tweeters” to play them on the internets. Why? To up the album downloads by use of clever @replies and witty DMs (direct messages) to gullible followers. Why pay a street team to reach thousands, when you can pay a random individual to use your name and reach millions? Whaddaya think this is? The early 2000s?
That’s the thing about Twitter. It’s so much fun is that the world is literally at your fingertips. If you had someone in mind that you always wanted to pose a question to, you can. You can follow them, have people follow you and essentially build your own network. And because it’s in real time, a rumor, a song, or a cover shot makes rounds in seconds. As quickly as “ghost tweeters” forget who they’re supposed to impersonate, they ding the image of the superstar leaving followers to wonder, “Is that really Jim Jones?”
The rapid exchange of information from people you’d probably never meet is the one of the best reasons to use Twitter. But every bit of it travels at the same speed. Whether it’s from an “ghost tweeter” or a hired poseur. True or false. Helpful or hurtful. It’s smart and convenient but still another product of modern technology. Everyday something is released that’s better, faster and stronger. Scary thought when you’ve got ghosts floating around, wearing an ill-fitting disguise of your favorite rapper.
Nadine Graham is a Atlanta based journalist
