According to my Twitter profile, I have been a member of this particular social media community since December 2008. It's fair to say that I have changed a lot since 2008 and so to have my interests. Over the years I have followed famous celebrities, politicians who have piqued my interest, and most recently an astrophysicist. Over the past nine years, I've discovered how I am influenced by those that I choose to follow. What I mean by influenced is that my worldview had not been challenged by those that I followed on Twitter simply because their thoughts were just like mine.

I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when I realized this, but when I started following different individuals whose thoughts differed from my own I realized the value in Twitter. Many people use Twitter for varying reasons, but most recently I have found myself stopping and truly considering how I view the world around me. As of mid-2014, Twitter reported an estimated 974 million individuals had an account with the website. I say this because these fifteen individuals below are just a small subgroup of the millions of interesting and insightful accounts. I want to highlight these fifteen individuals simply because they all hold different opinions and are actually really rad!

1. @kushaanshah (Kushaan Shah)

As I was doing research for an article on Millennials for the blogging site Medium, I stumbled upon Kushaan's twitter. Mr. Shah is an employee at the company IBM and frequently travels for his job. One of the biggest reasons why I enjoy his tweets is because he uplifts and succinctly defines Millennials. Kushaan's perspective on serious, and hilarious, news items helps me situate myself as a Millennial in an ever-changing world. Give him a follow if you find yourself inundated with negative opinions about our generation.

2. @DaveWeasel (Dave Weasel)

Dave Weasel's Twitter bio describes him as a comedian and this part of his identity shines through his tweets. The doom and gloom that surrounds us some, or rather most, days is ever apparent. What tends to help me sift through and process sometimes terrifying events: Dave's tweets. Mr. Weasel is particularly good at finding humor in our President-elect Mr. Trump. Therefore, I would say as a disclaimer that if you are a Trump supporter this may not be an account for you, but if you find yourself nervous about what is to come Dave Weasel's tweets might help you through the next four years.

3. @tanehisicoates (Ta-Nehisi Coates)

There are no words in the English language to describe how incredibly gifted and insightful Mr. Coates is with some of the most difficult topics in our society. As a teacher, I came across Ta-Nehisi's work during my undergrad, but have followed him over the past few years. Mr. Coates does a phenomenal job at communicating important topics through his writing. Recently he wrote a piece for The Atlantic where he interviewed President Obama on various topics that got the attention of the media. The piece was titled "'It’s What We Do More Than What We Say': Obama on Race, Identity, and the Way Forward " and I would highly suggest reading this article then following Ta-Nehisi on Twitter.

4. @Thom_astro (Thomas Pesquet)

To really gain a perspective on just how small we are in the grand scheme of say, the universe I highly recommend following the astronauts that do research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) every 1-2 years. Oftentimes they tend to post shots from above of their favorite cities or places. One such astronaut is Thomas Pesquet, a Euro-French pilot currently aboard the ISS. Mr. Pesquet posts daily photos from the ISS including incredibly close-up photos of famous cities and regions of our planet. Even if NASA doesn't interest you, I'd highly recommend following Thomas solely for the incredible photos from above.

5. @Acosta (Jim Acosta)

You may have recently heard of Mr. Acosta in the news. Yes, he was the reporter that Donald Trump accused of being a fake news reporter thus barring him from asking a single question at Trump's recent press conference. However, I began following Jim Acosta just as the presidential campaign was really heating up. Mr. Acosta is currently the Senior White House Correspondent for major news company CNN. Mr. Acosta is on my list simply because he tries to remain objective in his reporting and has endured countless insults at the hands of many Americans- not just President-elect Donald Trump. I'd highly recommend following Jim if you are interested in the journalistic side of what is sure to be a very interesting Trump administration.

6. @AstroKatie (Katie Mack)

It was months ago when NASA had released photos of everyone's favorite planet Pluto. While I perused the tweets of several excited individuals, myself included, I happened upon Katie Mack's twitter and have been following her ever since. Known in the science community as Dr. Katherine J Mack, Dr. Mack is an astrophysicist known to geek out about black holes and other scientific discoveries. Not only does she add some scientific insight to my timeline, but she also does so with a touch of humor. One of Katie's recent tweets left me cackling when she posted, "I would love to be thinking about astrophysics right now but [gesticulates wildly in direction of America] ." Dr. Mack is a very insightful, and intelligent, female who deserves some Twitter love.

7. @rainbowrowell (Rainbow Rowell)

It's safe to say that this cute mouse is not an actual self-portrait of Rainbow Rowell, but may well describe her personality. I came across Rainbow just moments after I finished her highly successful Young Adult novel "Fangirl." Not only is she an insightful author when it comes to writing and the concepts presented in her many novels, but she also is a great voice to listen to as we muddle through a rather difficult time in our country's history. On top of that, she is a very accessible author who is known for interacting with her fans on Twitter, so I'd recommend reading one of her awesome books and then following her!

8. @NickKristof (Nicholas Kristof)

As an avid reader, I am sometimes surprised to find out just how far-reaching some authors truly can be. This is no different for author Nicholas Kristof. I have only recently started following Nicholas, but am glad I decided to hit that blue button. Early last year I decided to participate in Emma Watson's Goodreads book club called Our Shared Shelf. In October we read the book "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This non-fiction book details the brutal abuse and trafficking taking place with women around the world. Ever since I began following Nicholas I have read article after article of his that describes the oppression of women around the globe. It is heart-wrenching but also makes me aware of what is truly going on. I recommend following Nicholas to make yourself aware of worldwide oppression.

9. @CoryBooker (Cory Booker)

Will the Senator from the great state of New Jersey please take a bow! Mr. Cory Booker is not new to the Twittersphere and has recently made headlines in the news specifically for his speech at the Democratic National Convention over the summer. In a period where some Americans have never felt more disconnected from their government officials, Senator Booker remains connected to his constituents, and other Americans, through his Twitter. Some of his ideas are truly inspiring and give me great hope for the future of America.

10. @amaditalks (Amadi)

This lady is a powerhouse of social voice on Twitter and one account I am so happy to be following. When something newsworthy happens, i.e. GOP dismantling ACA, Amadi often tweets about the news event from a perspective I had never considered before. I believe it is so easy for us, as educated citizens, to respond to some event according to what we believe and one of the reasons why I enjoy reading Amadi's tweets is because she challenges my beliefs in a positive way. Amadi's profile details how she is, "[a] Black, a Jew, queer, genderqueer (pronouns she/her anyway), fat and disabled." Bottom line, she has a whole different lens through which she views the world than I do. If you're looking for a fresh perspective on some pretty hot topics, I'd suggest following Amadi.

11. @StephenKing (Stephen King)

Long-time thriller/mystery author, Stephen King is actually a really funny guy when it comes to his Twitter account. Oftentimes he tweets about his adorable dog, that he calls Molly aka the Thing of Evil, and the horrors of the world around us including *GASP* Christmas music. One of his tweets that I found to be quite humorous involved something I had completely forgotten about, "I picture America's landline system as a slowly dying dinosaur. Can't someone figure out something useful to do with it? " Even if you are not a fan of his writing, or especially if you are, I'd recommend giving Mr. King a follow. He is sure to provide your timeline with a good bit of humor.

12. @MattBellassai (Matt Bellassai)

There is not enough space here for me to truly describe the hilarity of Matt Bellassai. Matt was previously a blogger for the website Buzzfeed but is now freelancing mostly. However, that does not mean Matt isn't still an important voice in the celebrity journalist world. He is an avid fan of Beyonce and Harry Styles and hilariously documented the day that Harry Styles replied to him on Twitter. Even further, he has a fresh take on politics and provides just the right amount of humor to what could otherwise be a scary news story. One example was his tweet about Trump and Putin where he said, "everybody be nice to donald, he *just* found out his best friend has been spying on him this whole time." This is just a taste of the amazing tweets he graces the Internet with every day. Really, you should give him a follow!

13. @laurenduca (Lauren Duca)

I've only been following Lauren for a couple of weeks, but I was brought to her account because a certain Martin Shkreli (the guy who increased the price of a life-saving drug just for the heck of it) direct messaged her asking if she wanted to be his +1 at Trump's inauguration. Lauren's response immediately led me to that blue Follow button when she shared, "I would rather eat my own organs." Unfortunately, a few days later news broke that Martin had been stalking her online. However, Lauren has been incredibly vocal about this and is not letting anyone diminish her worth throughout this ordeal. She's the kind of strong female voice we need in 2017! I highly recommend following her because of this.

14. @kellyoxford (Kelly Oxford)

As her profile photo suggests, Kelly Oxford is undeniably cool. Just before the US election came to a close a now infamous audio tape went public exposing Donald Trump's rather vulgar thoughts toward women. The audio led many females to vocalize how dangerous and prevalent sexual harassment is in our society today. One such female was, and still is, New York Times bestselling author Kelly Oxford. One evening Kelly began what would become a worldwide movement simply by asking ladies to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault using the hashtag notokay. Since then Kelly has been vocal about the oppression women experience every day in the world. Follow her!

15. @bellhooks (The Real bell hooks)

Bell Hooks is undeniably one of the most influential voices of our generation. In the world of education she is an inspirational author but to the world, Bell Hooks is an important voice for feminism. Her tweets range from political topics to literature that she is excited about. One of her most inspiring and thought-provoking tweets that led me to admire her was about Beyonce when she said, "One can critique yet still admire. I can be critical of Beyonce and yet also appreciate aspects of her power and representation. " Her perspective is unique and really changes up my timeline. Highly recommend following her if you want your worldview challenged.

Those are my top fifteen, in no particular order, Twitter accounts to follow this year! In the world of 900 million accounts, I am sure that there are other important people to follow. Let me know who you've been following in the comments below!