A loyal reader emailed this Twitter outburst to me just a few minutes ago. I’m sorry to say that this one of our favorite singers, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, formerly of Xscape, going off on an internet bully in a series of private messages that she wrongly assumed only he would see.
As I’ve said before, Twitter is not for people with poor impulse control. Celebrities should just stay off of these networks altogether and confine themselves to their own trusted, closed network of fans such as with the old fan clubs where fans paid a set rate to gain access to exclusive news about their celebs.
Right now, Twitter.com is a free-for-all where celebrities and their fans are basically on the same level. Stars routinely curse their fans out in a public forum while watching sales of their albums plummet.
By opening up every aspect of their lives online, celebrities have removed the mystique and wonderment that once surrounded them. Now all a fan has to do is hop online and there is her favorite celebrity sharing her day to day activities and exposing every flaw for the world to see.
Twitter accounts can be productive tools when used appropriately. For example, Atlantic Records created the @Tip Twitter account to promote T.I.’s new single that dropped yesterday. The label will be updating the account for T.I. who understands the importance of maintaining a barrier between himself and his fans.
