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Elizabeth Fais

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Elizabeth Fais

Tag Archives: Twitter

Realistic Character Relationships ~ Friend Zone Fact & Fiction

21 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Character, Writing, Young Adult

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Azkaban, character relationships, friend zone, friendzoned, Sirius Black, Social Media, teenage relationships, Twitter

I followed several Twitter accounts aimed at high-school-age audiences last year, to keep a pulse on the voice, attitudes, issues of today’s teens–a socially acceptable form of Friends1creative eavesdropping.

The exercise paid off better than expected. I found the snarky male voice for my current YA project, and got a glimpse of a teenage guy’s point of view on topics. Topics guys typically didn’t discuss in front girls when I was in high school, but don’t hesitate to tweet about now. Thank you, social media.

One thing I was particularly surprised by, was how easily (it seemed) guys (in the tweets I was reading) believed they’d been friendzoned. That place no one wants to end up when it comes to their crush.

Friend Zone:
When one person wants a romantic relationship with another person
and the person of their affection isn’t interested.

When “Friends” Doesn’t Mean “Friendzoned”

As I develop the relationship between the main characters in my current YA project, this topic came up again. Like so many teens, they have to navigate the pitfalls leading to a romantic relationship. Their personal issues intertwine with their character arcs to deepen the plot. How they relate to others shows who they are, and what they’re made of.

teenage relationshipWhat worried me so much about the “friendzoned” tweets was the innocence of the (girl’s) remarks that made the guy think he’d been kicked into the friend zone.

I realize a lot of tweets are meant for pure entertainment, especially those for a teenage audience. Still, over time I saw a definite trend across the accounts I was following.

In one repeated scenario, the girl referred to the guy as a “friend” after they’d just started talking and the guy assumed he’d been friendzoned. Maybe…but probably not. Healthy long-term relationships start with friendship. At least that’s been my experience. I’d worry if a guy didn’t want to develop a friendship, because that attitude smacks of a casual hook up.

Another scenario involved the girl who remarked “That is so sweet!” after the guy did something super nice for her. In his mind, that one short sentence sent him to the Friend Zone. Um… No. She was probably surprised by his gallant gesture, and at a loss for originality.

Friend Zone Fact and Fiction

My characters stress over being sucked into the Friend Zone mire too. They face the same relationship anxieties as normal teens, all while working to stay alive and outsmart the CIA. Which is the reason for these (hopefully) helpful guidelines:

  1. When you and your crush first start talking, if they refer to you as a “friend” it means they like you teenage relationships(read: romantically). It’s why they’re talking to you.
  2. The Friend Zone isn’t a virus you catch. You usually get there through misinterpreted signals and lack of action.
  3. Not all Friend Zones are created equal.
  4. The Friend Zone does not discriminate. Girls can get stuck in the Friend Zone too.
  5. You can put yourself in the Friend Zone. Don’t.
  6. The Friend Zone is not the Dead Zone.
  7. Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, so anyone can escape the Friend Zone. It takes planning, positive attitude, and action.
  8. Starting off as friends is a good thing. Happy, long-lasting relationships begin with friendship.

[Photo Credits: morguefile.com]


The Selfie That Brought Down Twitter & Why It Matters

10 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Academy Awards, Social Media, Technology

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Dolby Theater, Ellen DeGeneres, Hollywood, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Spacey, Meryl Streep, Oscars, selfie, The Ellen Show, Twitter

The 2014 Oscars were last Sunday evening, March 2nd. If you don’t live in a cave, you probably heard about Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscar selfie that broke Twitter.

If you just came out of your cave and missed all that action, you can get the deets from the Los Angeles Times article about the event here and the New York Daily News article here.

2014 Oscars Selfie that broke Twitter

One Message ~ Over 2 Million Retweets

Basically here’s what happened…

Oscar host, Ellen DeGeneres, encouraged Bradley Cooper to take the infamous picture of her and the cozied-up group of A-List actors, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Spacey, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

Long before midnight that night, Ellen’s selfie was retweeted more than 2 million times. The overwhelming influx of network traffic brought Twitter to its knees. Or, to use a highly technical term, “they were hosed”. So much so, that Twitter later sent out an apology regarding the 20 minute disruption in service that happened after 8 p.m. PST.

Why it’s a big deal…

People who don’t use Twitter don’t get how big this is, both on a technically and humanly—the way we work and live.

I’ve been a technical writer in the software industry for a number of years, and have been exposed to a broad range of technologies in some of the most influential companies in Silicon Valley. Twitter, and other high-profile companies that provide real-time services, have substantial server farms to compensate for traffic during peak times. Nothing short of World War III should bring them down.

So … for ONE TWEET to hose the services of a company like Twitter is HUGE.

But something else was remarkable about this phenomenon. It shone a lantern on how Twitter affects the way we interact and communicate as a society.

One message shared over two million times because it resonated with a population, is nothing short of amazing.

This says something powerful about instantaneous connectedness. How the world is a global community in which we share thoughts and ideas in a fraction of a second. More important, how much we have come to depend on this ability.

I was one of the many who live tweeted through the 2014 Oscars broadcast, talking with people across the nation and around the world, retweeting and replying to tweets. I experienced the “Twitter crash” in real-time, the frustrating sudden loss of being able to communicate with other tweeters.

The retweets-heard-round-the-world from Ellen’s single tweet demonstrated our power as a collective whole. Because at the end of the day, technology is nothing without us—the people who drive it.


How does technology affect the way you communicate and live?


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