Although it may not be the only factor, Twitter has undeniably participated in the evolution of how people interact. To some, Twitter is another life – they are cut off completely from their day-to-day contacts. However, for others, Twitter becomes a very real part of their lives. They make friends and meet people through the website. Ali described how she experienced this immense influence that Twitter had on her personal life, as well as the influence it had on her relationship with her idols.

How has your account impacted your life?
Greatly. My best friends are the people I met on Twitter. I met my fiancé on Twitter too. When I was a teenager being on this site helped me come to terms with my sexuality because it was so normal and acceptable there. Then I’d go outside and have these conversations with the people around me but they were at least subtly homophobic.

How has it impacted the relationship you have with your idol(s)?
I definitely feel more connected to my idol because they’ve acknowledged my existence online. It also gave me more insight into who they were as a person and that only made me like them more but I don’t feel as though they’re someone I know. They’re still a stranger to me because I don’t know them personally.

Have you ever been recognized by your idol(s)?
A few of times over the last few years.

Ali has also been noticed by Rose and Rosie, two YouTubers she is a fan of several times. (@lightswentout is Ali's old Twitter username.)

What are some of the struggles you’ve faced while running your account?
Keeping it a secret from people around me and being ghosted by a friend online. No way to knock on their door and ask for closure.

Twitter has completely altered the way fans interact with their idols. It is a much closer and more personal kind of interaction compared to Instagram, for example, where comments can be turned off completely and people post pictures rather than thoughts. As Ali mentioned, there have been many instances of regular people being recognized by their idols, talk-show hosts, and other celebrities. An example is Nicki Minaj paying Twitter fans' student loans over a series of Tweets. Another prominent example relevant to one of Ali's major fandoms — the Taylor Swift fandom — is Taylor Swift's Secret Sessions, where she selects dedicated fans she and her team found online (mainly through Twitter and Tumblr) and invites them to her house(s) to listen to her new albums before they are released. Some accounts I follow that have been invited to these Secret Sessions include @imcalledvanessa and @_GuySwiftie13. Like Ali stated, Twitter has allowed for fans to feel closer to their idols, and form a more concrete relationship with them.