The real reason I can't quit Twitter

A few weeks ago, Lindy West abandoned Twitter, saying that it was a platform that was unusable except for "trolls, robots, and dictators." She's not wrong. But still, I stay.
Look at the tweet replies to literally any article from The Guardian or Washington Post: I dare you. You'll see at least one "pepe the frog" avatar and probably several tweets screaming FAKE NEWS and telling us "liberal snowflakes" to get back to our "safe space."

Trolls on Twitter are commonplace now: almost everyone I know has been attacked in some form or fashion. It's why many of us keep our opinions off of hashtags and insert erroneous characters like * or ^ into words to keep trolls from finding us via search. It's not a sign of fear, it's a necessary Twitter survival skill! Because honestly, who has time to argue with neo-nazis wehen we could be shitposting and snarking with friends we met through this tumultuous platform?

The face of many Twitter trolls

I have met some amazing musicians via Twitter that I probably would not have met otherwise. Some of them I've met with in real life, like Dan Thorpe (@danisnotadj), Justin Capps (@chupalabras), Kathryn (@artsyhonker), and Laura Wolk-Lewanowicz (@wolksoprano).

Some of them I've yet to meet but their interactions are what keep me coming back to the platform, like Sally Whitwell (@sallywhitwell), Brad (@composerbrad), Everette Minchew (@eminchew), and Meerenai Shim (@Meerenai). There are many others whose tweets continue to inspire me on grey days, give advice when I'm about to have a technology related digital music meltdown, or lift me up when I wake up and the news is telling me that yet another terrible thing has happened.

The people I love to follow outweigh literal nazis. That tells you how quality they are. 

This week, a relatively recent musical connection, Tony Manfredonia (@amanfr01) posted that someone was looking for a soprano. I got in contact, sent the someone some samples of my singing, and he responded late last night with "Wow, your voice is incredible!"

Calling all high pitched / soprano female vocalists: This awesome #gamedev requests your services. He makes awesome work! https://t.co/942EAcX0Vk

— Tony Manfredonia (@amanfr01) January 27, 2017

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a messy daytime soap opera relationship with classical voice and singing as a whole. I've even written about it on this blog. TL/DR; it's taken me almost five years after graduating from college/university to get back on the singing solo horse. The horse is the runt of the pack and has a dodgy knee, and I can't quite figure out how to stay in the saddle without flying off in a spectacularly embarrassing way, but I'm on it, and  that's what counts. Getting a message from someone I've never had any interaction with saying that my voice is good is like mana from the heavens after years of denigrating comments from private instructors, mentors, and people within the industry. Even if the project fizzles, even if I never sing a note for this dude, it's made a positive impact on my musical life.

Got questions? Team #Musochat is here to help: @pickleshy, @garrt, @mezzoihnen, @patternroot, @surrendertofun, & @jmgerraughty. pic.twitter.com/H0zEKGIRrQ

— Musochat (@musochat) January 23, 2017

And don't even get me started on @Musochat: while I don't always participate, I always read responses, and it's the kind of community I've always wanted to see in the classical/new music scene. For too long it's been rife with snark and back-biting: I once went to a gig where I was derided for having a "day job" by the trust fund baby "full time composers," The weekly Musochat (Sundays at 9pm EST, folks) gives me faith that many of us are hungry for collaboration. It's an overwhelming exchange of ideas, thoughts, and tips on how to manage life as a musician. Topics range from the creative to the practical, and it's a big reason why I can't step away from Twitter. You guys are great, please never leave!

If you like rabid fangirling, snarking, and occasional bouts of genius (lol), you can follow me on Twitter @AngelinaPanozzo. If you like HOT TAKES on music, music culture, and how to be a musician in a tumultuous age, check out The Music Shark on Facebook.