From highschool to hashtags

I got my first smartphone after completing high school in 2023. It was a big step for me, as I had never owned a phone before. At first, I was unfamiliar with many things like creating accounts, setting up profiles, and communicating through calls and texts. However, I adapted quickly, and soon, I was enjoying the new experiences that came with it.

Before I got my phone, I had been warned about joining X (formerly known as Twitter). The reason given was that it’s “not for the faint-hearted,” which at the time seemed like a strange warning. But this year, in February 2024, I met a friend named Peter on WhatsApp, and he kept talking about X and how I didn’t have an account. He encouraged me to open one, assuring me it would be worth it. He told me that once I joined, I would never want to leave. As they say, “Experience is the best teacher,” so I decided to give it a try and promised myself I would create an account before the end of the year.

In June 2024, I woke up one day and decided it was time to join. I was excited to experience X for myself and see what everyone was talking about. I filled out my details: my name, username, birthday, profile picture, and bio. I left the location and website fields for later. My username was Esther5Kariuki, and for the first time, I felt like I was officially part of the platform. Since I love music and my career involves news writing, I chose the bio, “How about we listen to music and write news.” My profile picture was of my favorite musician, and I set Nakuru City as my background picture. I knew I would change them over time, but for now, it felt perfect.

I informed Peter that I had created the account, and he was excited for me. To him, it felt like a personal achievement. And honestly, it was a milestone for me as well! He immediately followed me and sent me a link, which I pinned in our chat. I made a mental note to open it later and follow him back. When I did, I was thrilled to see he was my first follower – something I’ll never forget.

I also followed accounts related to my field, such as Standard Media, Citizen TV, NTV, and, of course, my favorite artist, Alan Walker. However, after setting up my account, I became caught up in projects and exams, which led me to become inactive on most of my social media platforms – including X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. I even decided to take a break from TikTok to focus on growing my new X account.

During my first semester of second year, we were introduced to a unit on social media by Madam Julian Kamau. She mentioned that we would use our X accounts for most of our projects throughout the academic year, which motivated me to become more active on the platform. My goal is to engage more, have fun, and gain more followers.

Writer and Editor: Esther Kariuki

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