[By: L. Halevi]

The world we live in today is very different from the world of a decade ago. In fact, it is different today than a mere six months ago. The speed in which things change and evolve, the way in which industries are turned on their heads and the information highway is repaved, is breathtaking.

A decade ago, if you said the word “Tweet” it would conjure up images of a bird making some noise. Nowadays, it’s still a bird that we think of, but it is specifically a well-known bluebird, also referred to as the Twitter icon. Nowadays, the noise that the bird makes with its tweets is not always soft and pleasant, rather it can be noisy, filled with deeper meaning and sometimes less than pleasant.

Twitter has taken the world by storm, and is used – and often abused – to notify the world, in an instant, of things of great importance, earth-shattering news, presidential political updates and everything in between. Everyone and their brother has a Twitter account, AKA a Twitter handle, and uses that seat of prominence to attract followers and make their mark on the world.

The Jewish world is no different. Many popular Twitter accounts have attracted thousands of followers who are eager to read, share and comment every tweet, for better or for worse. Some of the more popular accounts are @YWN, @YiddishNews and @JTAnews, just to name a few, and each one in their own way dominates the Orthodox Jewish world with their particular style of news, commentary and updates that are relevant to the Orthodox Jewish population.

Most of the aforementioned accounts rely on advertising to sustain their existence, which can also lead to making the accounts, like their websites, a little cluttered and noisy. The exception is @YiddishNews, which offers the relevant news items without any ads or other annoyances; it’s straight up news, and their thirty three thousand or so followers seem to appreciate this method, as their growth is steadily rising in the Jewish world. Redefining breaking news, the feed offers more clarity with less ad clutter. Front page headlines are seamlessly listed, sometimes beating the press to it.

People in general – and the Jewish population as well – have a “love-hate” relationship with Twitter. It can be annoying and intrusive, yet they keep coming back for more. Twitter feeds are checked multiple times per day, and it’s a habit that simply can’t be beat. It has become part and parcel of our very lives and there is nothing to really do about it. No longer are the News Papers the primary source for news. Twitter news accounts have solidly taken over. The only question is which accounts to follow and which accounts to go to first for breaking news and news with an angle that best suits your particular style or ideology.

The little blue bird is out of its cage, and it’s here to stay. Get used to it, and as the saying goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them”. No matter if your personal handle is @UltraOrthodox, @Orthodox or @ModernOrthodox, there is a kosher bird out there, waiting for you.