Karly Brooks (@brookskarly) Doesn’t Need 280 Characters

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Karly Brooks is a writer living in Brooklyn with her roommate’s dog and also her roommates. Her writing has appeared on McSweeney’s, BuzzFeed, The Belladonna, Robot Butt, a few ads and, of course, her Twitter. Her hobbies include reading and writing, which is sort of sad since her day job is also mostly reading and writing. She should really find another day job. (Note: This bio was written by Karly. Splitsider is very affirming and supportive of Karly’s day job.)

This week, Karly and I discussed some of her favorite tweets and what she enjoys about Twitter.

I’ve always thought that that Katy Perry line was ridiculous. Like, no Katy Perry, none of us have ever felt like a plastic bag…what does that even mean? But it occurred to me that yes, actually, maybe I have felt like a plastic bag. Not really in a “drifting through the wind†kind of way, but in more of an “I am complete garbage†kind of way.

How often do you joke about pop culture? Do you have any recurring favorite topics?

I honestly suck SO MUCH at pop culture. I never really watch movies, I can’t tell celebrities apart and I tend to watch the same shows over and over (cough cough Family Guy and Grey’s Anatomy cough I have no taste cough). When I do joke about pop culture, it’s almost always politics and almost always a coping mechanism.

Full disclosure: I got those Beats for free from a friend who also got them for free. And I totally don’t use them in the way you picture, like getting pumped up before my high school basketball state championship or something. Nope, I’m just your average small white girl be-bopping through Brooklyn with my Beats, probably listening to something cringe-worthy like Vance Joy. Sorry, Dre. 

Do you ever tweet about your personal life or do you draw from outside sources?

I definitely tweet about my personal life a lot! Which is weird because my personal life is very, very not exciting. 

Do you remember the first Twitter account that you followed or were obsessed with?

The first one that comes to mind is Doge. I spent most of 2014 structuring my sentences the way doge does (which is not at all) and I still to this day sometimes call dogs “doges†out loud.

Seriously, white people, what ever happened to nice names like Ashley? 

Do you want access to 280 characters per tweet?

I actually don’t think I would want 280 characters. I love a good, quick joke. Also, I’m an obsessive editor and 280 characters would just be double the stress. 

What are your favorite and least favorite things about Twitter?

I think my favorite thing about Twitter is the opportunity to relate to people in fun and unexpected ways. I love when I see a tweet about a seemingly insignificant moment in day to day life and EMPHATICALLY retweet because I relate so much (this tweet comes to mind). And my least favorite thing is probably how much of a platform it creates for dangerous voices, fake stories, harmful rumors, etc. It’s becoming more and more apparent how much of a force Twitter can be, and I think it’s important that we make sure it’s a force for good. *steps off soapbox* *trips*

Karen Chee is a writer/performer who contributes regularly to The New Yorker and McSweeney’s.

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Karly Brooks (@brookskarly) Doesn’t Need 280 Characters