@Nikitaetmode is an NYU student, digital strategist and writer. When not doing those things, she says, she’s probably asleep, talking about Nicki Minaj, or out with friends. Nikita grew up in the Silicon Valley, but owns no hoodies. You can find her writing stuff for young women for places like Teen Vogue, or gushing about makeup in the beauty newsletter she runs with a friend. This week Nikita shared some thoughts on three of her favorite tweets. We talked pop culture, tweeting about a diverse roster of topics, and being a big sister for young Desi girls online.
on twitter like: BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY on gmail like: just following up, has anyone on your team looked at my invoice?
— ✨ nikita ✨ (@nikitaetmode) April 21, 2015
Nikita: This one is preeeetty self explanatory and we’ve all been there before. I remember I wrote this one while invoicing, shortly after #BBHMM came out. Everyone had been tweeting about the song with false bravado – we all know you’re not going to BBHMM that media outlet, my man. And well, there you go: log onto gmail and follow the hell up on your last email. It’s just how this all works.
Are there certain times of day or activities that you find most conducive for writing tweets?
I don’t plan when I write tweets so much as when I post them. I sort of tweet/draft things as they come to me. Now, if I’m awake at 4AM because my sleep cycle is owning me, I probably will have thought of tons of stuff to tweet but what’s the point of hitting tweet? No one will see it! I find during the weekday there’re a few “waves” of times when people are online and I try and post/bump content then. And, of course I have days where I can’t think of things to tweet or other days where I’m just too busy to get online much. TL;DR: sorta, not really.
Do you or have you ever used other blogging or social media as much as Twitter? How does Twitter rank for you compared to other platforms?
I actually started this Twitter account because I wanted to be a fashion blogger for five minutes when I was a teenager, so it was a kind of a standard part of the social networking toolkit to do that. I use Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook regularly: I keep Instagram around to take selfies and well-filtered pictures of my food so that one day I can tell my grandchildren about this amazing sandwich I once ate 40 years ago; Facebook’s main purpose for me is mostly so my family knows I’m alive and doesn’t follow me on Twitter. I like Instagram and Twitter the most, but prefer the latter because of the conversational element. I’ve always been a fan of writing, so Twitter caters to my strengths! And, it’s taught me to practice brevity in writing, which frankly…more of us need to learn before posting a masturbatory think-piece or seven. Twitter has been an incredible networking tool for me, but there are some not-so-fun things about it, on the order of safety, etc.
(As a side note, I don’t understand Instagram ~aesthetic~ meet ups….What do you guys talk about? Do you take soft focus pink photos of your shoes, but together? Please explain this to me.)
It’s funny how the tweets I think about least sometimes do the best. We all know sweatpants dick is the ideal manifestation of the dickpic: it’s just coy enough, and leaves something for the recipient to look forward to. You know, as opposed to turgid log under the comforter shot using over-exposed flash, sent when one is least expecting it, followed by “U Up?”. A SDP is like, “hey, just thinking ‘bout u,” and fairly pleasant to receive.
And no, I did not in fact google sweatpants dick. I was just trying to get some tweets off.
Did it take you long to find your voice/tone on Twitter?
*Drake voice* I’m doin’ me. My voice is pretty organic on Twitter, though of course there’s some editing/self-censorship for the sake of privacy, etc.
What are your favorite topics to tweet about?
I tweet about anything, really! From fashion to social justice to commentary on media. It all depends on the day and I don’t like to box myself into being, “oh I’m fashion twitter, better post show reviews!” Plus, I like to tweet about a variety of things because it keeps my feed interesting: I’d like to think people follow me because I don’t only tweet about a single topic. I do, however, have a vested interest in making my corner of the internet safe for young women, particularly young Desi girls. Growing up is hard and if I can be that big sister for you, great.
Men: hi Me: first things first I’ll eat your brains then imma start rocking gold teeth and fangs cause that’s what a motherfucking monsta do
— ✨ nikita ✨ (@nikitaetmode) February 4, 2015
I tweet about pop culture a whole lot - I work in media, and I’m in a media program in school: media is relatable, we all engage with it and encounter it in daily life, and it makes for perfect conversational fodder once you’ve exhausted the weather option. Nicki Minaj’s verse in “Monster” is one of the better things in semi-recent pop culture history. It’s just fierce and unapologetic. So, I tried to capture that sense in this tweet, and hopefully managed remind you to go listen to the song, too.
Typically is it more fun for you to tweet about super topical pop culture stuff or stuff like the “Monster” verse that’s not as recent but still recognizable and easy to bring back to social consciousness?
It really depends on the day! Some days I’m feeling fired up and want to get long(er) form takes about xyz out, other days I’m in a more jokey mood. I do my best to switch things up, but I am very conscious about not hurting people (which is human decency), and being mindful of my messaging. I want to use Twitter as a positive platform, not to be that asshole that tweets jokes for shock value.
Jenny Nelson lives and writes in Brooklyn and works at Funny Or Die.