In Memoriam: The Charming Mundanity of Twitter's Oldest User

More
Ivy Bean, Gordon Brown -- TwitPic -- Photo.jpg

Ivy Bean, the 104-year-old who has been described as the oldest Twitter user in Britain and the world, passed away peacefully at 12:08 am today, according to her Twitter status and British news reports.

The authenticity of Bean's account was almost immediately called into question after she signed up in May, 2009. (It is, admittedly, a little curious that the age at which she died was also, from the start, a part of her user name, IvyBean104.) But while she no doubt received some help along the way, it seems that the account was genuine, at least if we're to trust the BBC and The Guardian.

What stands out from Bean's tweeting history isn't that it's surprisingly tech-savvy, but that it's so ordinary. Recent research shows that people's online profiles are surprisingly accurate representations of themselves, and Bean, well, she was a great-grandmother. She shared photos of her progeny and talked about the weather.

Here are a few tweets from earlier this year:

  • March 02: i used the prime ministers private toilet in his study too
  • March 04: Hello every one, are you enjoying the sunshine today?
  • March 05: time for a cup of tea and biscuit i think
  • March 11: im very well, it seems the weather is finally getting better, the sun has been out today, its been nice
  • March 26: hello every one what a lovely day it is today are you all enjoying the weather?
  • March 26: http://twitpic.com/1b143u - my great grandaughter Gabrielle
  • May 04: My great grand daughter Cara http://twitpic.com/1kz1jr
  • May 24: liza if the staff make me drink any more i will be floating they are now tempting us with ice cream its smashing

The above photograph of Ivy and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was taken from Ivy's TwitPic page.

Jump to comments

Niraj Chokshi is a former staff editor at TheAtlantic.com, where he wrote about technology. He is currently freelancing and can be reached through his personal website, NirajC.com. More

Niraj previously reported on the business of the nation's largest law firms for The Recorder, a San Francisco legal newspaper. He has also been published in The Hartford Courant, The Seattle Times and The Age, in Melbourne, Australia. He's also a longtime programmer and sometimes website designer.
Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)


Elsewhere on the web

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Video

What Does It Take to Make Real Craft Gin?

Tour the Green Hat Gin distillery

Video

Letter From the Editor

The June 2013 issue

Video

What Straights Can Learn From Same-Sex Couples

New insight from decades of research

Video

The End of the Mall Rat

A tribute to that pillar of teen culture

Writers

Up
Down

More in Technology

In Focus

Finland in World War II