We naturally lead manicured lives, so that our favorite blogs and writers and friends all look and think and sound a lot like us. (While waiting in line for my cappuccino this weekend, I was ready to punch myself in the face, as I realized that everyone in line was wearing the exact same uniform: artfully frayed jeans, quirky printed t-shirts, flannel shirts, messy hair, etc. And we were all staring at the same gadget, and probably reading the same damn website. In other words, our pose of idiosyncratic uniqueness was a big charade. Self-loathing alert!) While this strategy might make life a bit more comfortable - strangers can say such strange things - it also means that our cliches of free-association get reinforced. We start thinking in ever more constricted ways.
And this is why following someone unexpected on Twitter can be a small step towards a more open mind. Because not everybody reacts to the same thing in the same way.
Yesterday found me engaged in a bit of periodic culling of those I follow on Twitter. The excuse I use most often is "cutting down on the noise." However, curiosity got the better of me as I compared my follower/following numbers. 'Who are these people following me in spite of me not following them?" I wondered. Rather than pare down my following number to the regular 300, I instead decided to expand to 374. Let's see what happens...