Tweet, Tweet

At two, the delightful Elizabeth Holiday has mastered the litany, “What does the kitty cat say?” The lion, tiger and bear have their distinctive “roar,” the cows moo, the pigs oink, and the duck quacks. Next on the list: “What does the birdie say?” “Tweet-tweet.”

Before the advent of Twitter in 2006, that’s how we used the word “tweet.” When George Bush (the second) was president, press briefings, news conferences, and the weekly radio address to the nation were the normal means of communication from the White House to the American people.

Not so today. Since long before the inauguration of “45,” Mr. Trump raised the transmission of 140 characters to a quasi-art form. Hardly a day went by without a series of tweets from candidate Trump, president-elect Trump, and now POTUS Trump.

Before I go any farther, a disclaimer. I’ve never quite gotten the hang of Twitter. My son Drew swears by it, but I’m a Facebook – and conversation – girl. I set up an account, but I could never figure out what to do with it. If I seem a little salty about the president’s use of the tweet, perhaps I’m jealous he has a ton of followers, while I haven’t even bought a ticket for the train.

A couple of thoughts about the tweets emanating from the oval office – or perhaps the president’s dressing room, considering the early morning usage. The first: this method of communication avoids the middle man – or woman. No need for cameras, note-taking reporters, or a teleprompter – the president puts it out there and lots of people read his tweets with their morning coffee.

Through the use of the tweetstorm, the president communicates directly with his 31,000,000 Twitter followers (as of May 2017). According to a Newsweek account, it’s likely that a number of those followers are bots (as in robots?), but that’s still an impressive number. Supposedly Katy Perry and Justin Bieber have more than three times as many – but who’s counting?

As to the content of the tweets, they hit the cyberwaves (is that even a word?) without much if any vetting. That’s provided the world with some memorable moments, and is likely responsible for a number of gray hairs for White House staffers. We knew a pastor who would often say, “Now my wife told me not to say this . . .” and then proceeded to say “this,” much to our amusement and his wife’s frustration. That’s the issue with Twitter – its ‘in the moment’ method of communication doesn’t lend itself to editing or review of any kind, and seldom does the Twitter user “sleep on” a message before sending it. Many people, much less famous than Mr. Trump, have regretted the 140 characters they released in a spur-of-the-moment vent or tirade.

Especially for journalists, but also for many Americans, Mr. Trump’s tweets drive the day. No matter the news of yesterday, by 6:30 a.m., there’s a new story to chase, a new rabbit hole to tunnel down. Even prior to the inauguration, Sean Spicer, the president’s own press secretary, told a panel at the University of Chicago, “Whatever he tweets, he is going to drive the news.” When asked if he dreads checking Twitter, Spicer responded, “No, but I do look there first.”

What drives my day? I had a pretty crummy start the day I woke up to an army of ants marching through my box of apple turnovers. I generally have a wonder-filled day when the sweet words, “Nana, Nana” are the first I hear. For many people of faith, an awesome day begins with the words of the unknown hymnist, “When morning gilds the skies, my heart, awakening, cries, may Jesus Christ be praised.”

We may be influenced by the first moments of our day, but we are not defined by them. Eleanor Roosevelt understands: “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves . . . and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” A Trumpian tweet or a phone call from great-aunt Matilda can distract for a time, but we still can assign priority to the actions and concerns of our day. Carpe diem – the day is ours to seize!