The Disney Twitterati

Right before I went on my Disneyland trip in January, I decided to start my own Disney-centric Twitter account. I live-tweeted my trip, and had a really good time interacting with some new folks on Twitter. In fact, I had a non-specific twitter account for a few years and never really made any sort of effort to join into the conversation. I'd tweeted, but always randomly and I had no real audience. I mainly used it for news and my own reading entertainment.

I've found the Disney Twitter community to be a whole lot of fun, at least somewhat welcoming, informative, and definitely entertaining. Probably most importantly, I've found it to be the exact kind of fix I needed when I was most in need of some Disney nourishment.

I am not a pro Disney-Tweeter at this point, by any means, but I like to think that over the past 8 months I've come to realize there are very specific Disney-Twitter Types.

So, without further ado, I give you my take on the Disney Twitter Account Types

The Sanctioned –

These are the official accounts. Some of them are kinda fun like the @DisneylandToday or @DCAToday feeds who will interact with you if you're at the park, will sometimes have contests for park visitors, and are generally pretty responsive. For the most part, though, these accounts are boring, only parse out official information. They're more often commercials than anything, and certainly don't have much personality. I highly recommend finding the “Today” feeds if you're at the parks, but otherwise, you're not gonna get much entertainment out of them.

The Obsessed Teens –
One of the biggest groups seems to be largely comprised by teen girls who pepper their feeds with emojis, pictures of their favorite princes, or screen caps from whatever Disney movie they're watching at any given time. Most often, they tweet about how badly they want to go to one of the parks, how many days there are until their next visit, or how sad they are now that they're back from their most recent visit. The thing I think about most with them is how often they seem to go to the parks. It's just a crazy amount. There's a lot of charm about these feeds, because they have that youthful exuberance that many of us lose as we get more cynical. I can't totally see why some folks would be annoyed with these girls, but I like them in moderation.

The Authorities –

Like with just about anything, Disney Fandom has a way of designating its own experts. The experts here are the folks who have somehow taken their Disney passion and made it their living, or at least partially, through ceaseless blogging, trip planning, restaurant reviews, and all kinds of other tidbits of content that they've taken from hobby to profession. Sometimes it's a little hard to tell how much they're willing to say, out of fear of harming their reps or their relationships (which, even with my modest following, is why I'm not going to call anyone out), but they often have a lot of great pictures, and a lot of great tips about park touring.

The Moles –

This might be the most tantalizing of all categories, as this is where all of the Twitter feeds of Imagineers, Animators, and other 'in the know' cast members fall. Some particularly good ones It's pretty cool to follow legendary Imagineer Joe Rhode. It's neat to read about what some Pixar animator is working on. I call it tantalizing, and I mean it. I would guess that 90% of Disney fans would say we'd love to be an Imagineer, and be a part of the secrets, and even having this sort of tertiary connection to them makes it feel like we're closer to the action.

The Know-it-Alls –
The Know-It-Alls are basically like the Experts, but instead of keeping it mostly positive, they're mostly dicks about everything, so people don't really look to them as authorities, but rather antagonists. They're like the bizarro-world versions of our heroes. You can most often find them ranting and raving about some insider tidbit, or telling more casual fans how “in the dark” they are about some thing they just innocently enjoy. They often have a ton of followers, too, and they use this fact as ammunition to prove how important they are. My suspicion is that many of their followers are more entertained by their dickery than they are impressed with their knowledge.

The Family –
I have to admit that these folks are my favorite. They're people with a love for Disney, they often have podcasts, or blogs much like the experts, but it's not their job, and they're not beholden to sponsors, so they're a little more honest with their opinions. Most importantly, though, they don't take things too seriously. They're willing to make a joke at our pal Mickey's expense, and they don't see that as some sort of blasphemy. I'd even go so far as to argue their love for Disney is even more apparent, because they don't treat it as an unreachable, inaccessible icon, but rather a member of the family. As we all know, family members can be loved and joked about at the same time.

Themed Accounts -
One of the more entertaining types of accounts, if they're done well, are the themed accounts. They have an angle, and they're sticking with it. It's hard to explain without giving examples, so I'll mention @DisneylandCats. This is an account written entirely from the point of view of the famous feral cats living at Disneyland. It's funny, it's light-hearted, and it sticks to their concept. These kinds of accounts can be hit-or-miss, but the hits are definitely worth a follow. (Also, I'll be blogging about the Disneyland cats at some point. I've encountered them at the Disneyland Hotel on each of my last 2 visits).

The Others-

These are the folks who dabble, or don't fit into a mold, or maybe aren't established yet. Certainly I fall into this category, though I'd like to think I'll find my way into 'The Family” at some point, as they're the ones I tend to talk with the most, listen to the most, and enjoy reading the most. Some day... Some day.

So there ya go...

I'd love to hear if you think I'm missing any important groups.

Happy Tweeting!