Why do I tweet? | Tevin Stakston | TEDxYouth@Stockholm

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Tevin is 15 years old and in ninth grade in Stockholm. He specializes in drama and thinks he wants to continue on a similar track. Another interest is film, there is something special in seeing how a story is told and how emotions can be conveyed through a camera lens.

He is also very interested in contemporary history, especially the two World Wars and the agenda around them. It is important to understand how such things could happen and what we can do to prevent them from happening again. Another passion of his is music, which he both play and listens to. Since he plays the bass, he appreciate artists who use "real" instruments. Inspired by 60′s music and the Beatles as idols.
He keeps track of the outside world through Twitter which he really like, it is the first and the last thing he reads in a day.

Hi. I'm Tevin, I'm 15 years old,
and I tweet.

And that's actually why I'm here.

When I joined Twitter,
my friends asked me,

"Who's really going to want
to read what you write?"

And I admit that I thought about it too.

And I also didn't understand all of it.

I was thinking, "What's 'mentions'?
What's 'retweets'?

What about 'hashtags'? What's that?"

But my mom helped me,
she's an active tweeter too.

At last I got it, and then I got going.

And suddenly, it was so much fun.

What happened next was that,

you notice that on Twitter,
you don't automatically get pigeonholed.

For example, Tevin,
15 years, ninth grade.

While on Twitter, it's more like
you're equal to everyone you talk to.

Then I noticed,
that when I met tweeters in person,

all of a sudden, you're pigeonholed again.

Not by everyone, but it's quite common.

But those who didn't fit in that box,

I could become very good friends with.

And I still am.

Twitter also offers a great closeness

to people that you're probably
never going to meet in person.

Or people on the other side of the world.

For example, I was in New York
a month ago.

When I got back home

I read a tweet by Samuel L. Jackson.

He posted an image, and when I opened it,
it was snowing in New York.

When I was there, it was sunny,
even warmer than in Sweden.

It was pretty awesome to think

that he'd taken that picture
and tweeted it.

And then I can see it in Sweden,
in a different time zone too.

A day later, Sean Lennon,
John Lennon's son, writes,

that he's going down
to Occupy Wall Street to play a little.

For me, being a huge Beatles fan,

it was cool, imagining
that I could have been there too.

Because I had been
to Occupy Wall Street as well.

And at the same time, when you see
the Arab revolution going on, and such,

Twitter is actually the first
and best place for news.

So well, I think Twitter is amazing.

I sometimes wish
that I had more time to tweet.

Which I don't always have,
being in school and all.

Particularly now, when the number
of followers is rising.

I'm almost at 200.

And I wish... I'd like
to offer them more tweets.

Because they're following me for a reason.

And youths who don't tweet, I'd really
like to see more young tweeters.

Because there aren't very many my age.

But don't worry, you'll probably get help.

People on Twitter are quite helpful.

Mostly.

So well, try it, it's fun,
and feel free to follow me.

Thank you.

(Applause)