One of the most bizarre and strangely fun experiences you can have on the internet right now is being one of the first people to reply to Donald Trump’s tweets.
Ever since Twitter cracked down on the bots that would instantly take up the coveted real estate right below a Trump tweet, regular folks like you and me can be one of the first people to tweet “screw you” at the incoming US president. The result of firing off one of the first replies is instantly overwhelming and insane. As The Atlantic notes, it’s now prime media real estate. Within seconds, crazed Trump supporters and dissenters alike will weigh in on your tweet, all while it receives hundreds of likes. It’s maddening, but the spectacle of it all unfolding inside your Twitter mentions is so deeply ridiculous it’s almost impossible to look away.
Fair warning, you will definitely get quite a few people telling you to jump off your nearest bridge or that you’re a baby who can’t accept that Trump will lead the US to prosperity. But if you can handle that, marvelling at the massive wave of reactions in your mentions is an interesting experience. One thing is for sure, whatever side you’re on, random internet citizens will come to your aid and defend you from the barrage of attacks you will inevitably receive.
Another thing, should you chose to partake in this weird internet experience, just know that you’ve signed up for at least a week of possibly deranged people you’ve never met sending you tweets like “Patriots LOVE his tweets because TRUMP is ALWAYS correct!!!!!” or “shut the F. up…U are a total herb… Id smack you like a little girl~.” Seriously, people will keep replying for at least one week, sometimes even longer.
@WilliamTurton @realDonaldTrump @NBCNews #DucksOnly #LameDuckBoss Opama #losers #GodBlessDonaldJohnTRUMP #Amen
— Emma Bolingo (@fixbolingo) January 9, 2017
@WilliamTurton @realDonaldTrump @NBCNews Well said…Short and to the point!
— Eric C. Caren (@ECCaren) January 9, 2017
Have I convinced you yet? Great. Here’s how you do it.
The key for all of this is turning on mobile notifications for Trump’s tweets. Simply go on your phone, navigate to Trump’s profile, and tap the bell to turn on notifications. Now, next time the president-elect angrily types a tweet about Meryl Streep or his newfound love of Julian Assange, you will instantly get a push notification. As soon as you see that push notification appear, the clock starts ticking. A lot of other people have already figured this out, so you have a few seconds to reply with something good. The content of your tweet doesn’t seem to matter too much, as long as you’re one of the first to send a reply. Once you’ve fired off the very first thing that popped into your head, sit back and watch your Twitter mentions devolve into a beautiful, festering pile of fresh hell.