Technophobe Now Twit

Auckland mother and self-confessed technophobe Lisa Etheridge, 39, is now an unwitting international Twitter celebrity. Etheridge — @lisatickledpink — was asked to sign up to Twitter for a Unitec design course, and her first tweet, “I hate technology,” resulted in 25,000 followers, the top 2 per cent of all Twitter users. Etheridge’s fame began when Kevin Ross, founder of social news website Digg, decided to pick a random Twitter account to follow, encouraging others to follow suit. Etheridge was unaware she was being talked about in front of an online audience of thousands. “I got home and went through my normal routine of looking through my emails from all over the place, and I didn’t know what was going on,” she said. Etheridge was getting an email alert every time someone started following her on Twitter. Technology broadcaster Leo Laporte of netcast network TWiT.tv also encouraged his 100,000 fans to follow Etheridge online and has given her the gift of tablet computer iPad. She will be the first New Zealand owner of the new technology. Watch the exclusive Kiwi Fm interview with Etheridge and Laporte on YouTube.