Earlier today a Twitter account called @cormacmccarthyw appeared and fired off a solitary tweet, like a leathery rancher throwing a rock into a still pond for no reason but to disturb the fish:
https://twitter.com/cormacmccarthyw/status/636544280346107904
The account hasn't explicitly claimed to be author Cormac McCarthy, except insofar as its handle is @cormacmccarthyw, its display name is Cormac McCarthy, and its avatar is a photo of famed author Cormac McCarthy. Maybe it's the real deal, but it's a good idea to be a little cautious about immediately believing that famous authors (or famous anyones) have joined Twitter.
Real or not, other Twitter users have greeted @cormacmccarthyw en masse. The account has already picked up nearly 3500 followers. And the things that people around the world have chosen to tweet in their initial interactions with Cormac McCarthy are very, very good.
A lot of the responses were fans expressing thanks or appreciation. Others got more excited.
Although some remained very curt, and formal.
There are fans who may be too exercised.
And at least one account who wasn't really a fan, but just wanted to engage pleasantly.
Others wanted to engage…unpleasantly?
https://twitter.com/AscendedBastard/status/636620074082766848
There was some excitement about Cormac McCarthy's name, mostly by people who share part of his name.
And boy, people sure thought these "jokes" were funny:
But from the wasteland of responses-to-probably-fake-Cormac McCarthy-account 2015 there emerged a hero, someone who would describe Twitter with aplomb, in the language of the medium.
It sure is, Mike. It sure is.
Ethan Chiel is a reporter for Fusion, writing mostly about the internet and technology. You can (and should) email him at ethan.chiel@fusion.net