From The Times today, “Lazy Twitter stars call in ghost writers”
CELEBRITIES are hiring ghost writers to help them twitter in the latest social networking craze as the burden of writing 140-character messages for fans proves too onerous.
“Tweets”, as the messages are called, are supposed to be composed and dispatched live across the internet.
But there are growing suspicions that celebrities’ and politicians’ tweets are written by speechwriters and publicists.
Last week it was disclosed that the rapper 50 Cent had handed over his tweets to a ghost.
Earlier this month the New York star, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, told 215,000 fans: “My ambition leads me through a tunnel that never ends.”
The words were not live but were lifted from an earlier interview by Chris Romero, who runs 50 Cent’s web pages. Last week Romero admitted that his boss did not use Twitter but said “the energy of it is all him.”
Uganda’s political elite are possibly in last place in the international technology race. To expect any of them to tweet is expecting too much.
Recently I spoke to a group of women from Uganda’s parliament who argued vehemently against the need to integrate some manner of social networking in their operations. They said the cost is too high to justify and their electorate is too rural to care about the Internet. My attempt to explain the facts of Uganda’s young population, the slow, but growing number of rural schools and towns with internet access and the possibilities of an international platform dedicated to their unfiltered, unadulterated views fell on dead ears.
“It’s too complicated!” one woman MP from the West Nile lamented.
All is not lost, however. I’m up for hire. With way too much time on my hands and too little money in my pocket, I am willing to ghost tweet for Uganda’s parliamentarians, cabinet ministers, opposition politician … anyone. Heck, I’ll even tweet for President Yoweri Museveni.
*****
Ykmuseveni
(Follow me …)
@rmugabe–Karibu! Twitter is the new revolution! Mbasongo & Biya are already on. Convince Mubarak, Compaoré & other comrades 2 join. A luta continua!
- It’s extremely hot in Nakasongola. I hope my ADC didn’t forget my kofia. You know how peasants are. Some can’t recognize me without my hat on.
- Africans are generally good singers, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to the way wananchi sing the national anthem. I won’t even go into Ekitiibwa kya Buganda. Terrible!
- Dawg (yes, I watch MTV too), there was squat in dis hood when we popped da throne! Now peeps have a tarmac rd, elec, ev’ting! Sweet!
- On the way to … have no idea. Nakasongola? Haven’t prep’d. Will repeat my Blame Game speech. I know it by heart … “It’s not me, it’s the opposition …” Easy.
- Missed the solar eclipse. The Equator banange!
Should this trade-not-aid thing work, we’ll buy rights 2 the sun & the moon & purchase our own eclipse!
- Had a rough nite. Mbwenu journalists are giving me grief 4 ordering the arrest of errant policemen in Nateete. They say it’s an attempt @ cheap popularity. As if!
- These Kenyans are mad. Not mad, mad, but a little crazy 2 releasing the report on Migingo prematurely. May have 2 put them in their place.
- @mgaddafi – Agree with your statement on Gambia. The peasants still need education 2 understand real democracy & power. Greetings 2 Jammeh.
- Saw some man glare angrily @ my motorcade as I drove home. What was his problem? I need my security & my motorcade isn’t that long!
- @psematimba – Yes, take over of KCC is imminent. With you, G. Nyakana & others heading city divisions, start collecting mabugo for DP.
- Back from tour of K’la. Those KCC guys don’t know what hit them. Ordering them around & shaming them 4 incompetence in front of masses was gr8!
- This hullaballoo over Bashir is boring. Move on already!
- @Kbesigye – origye?
Hire me, someone!
