Notifications On for Anthony Potero

Creators are ahead of the curve when it comes to viral trends and impactful cultural moments — they foster meaningful connections that resonate with audiences across the globe. Notifications On showcases the best and brightest Creators on Twitter. For this edition, we’re talking to emerging comedian Anthony Potero, better known to his fans as @anthpo, about viral Tweets, meritocracy, and next-level stans.

Twitter is definitely a look into my tortured mind [laughs]. The silliest thoughts that go into my brain, I'm like, “Ah, that seems like a Tweet.” I want to deliver the best content to people, so I'm only going to Tweet something if I think people will get a kick out of it. I try to not put too much of myself out there, because at the end of the day, I want it to be about the entertainment value.

I always knew what Twitter was, but I'm in the generation where nobody used it — it was all Instagram. But I had [an account] so that I could interact with Creators. At first, when I started using it, they weren't great Tweets. I had a few good ideas, like there was a week where I would post [multiple] pictures of me jumping, asking, “@NBA, thoughts?” But I'd say late 2020 is when I really started to figure things out.

I'm in my own lane on YouTube — I don't collab, I don't follow formats — and it’s the same with Twitter. I'm very nontraditional, and I don't just reply to people who are in my circles to get engagement, but I had Jacob Alpharad DM me, [inviting me to] collaborate. Twitter is his thing, so that blew me away. Since then, I’ve realized that all Creators are just people. It’s really cool to go to somebody's profile and it says “Follows you” — that’s probably the best feeling.

Carter Hambley’s Tweets are so funny. I never went to somebody's profile, and just read through all their Tweets until that guy. And then, Sarah Lugor is one of the people that I've gotten pretty close with this past year. She lived in the area when I was in a TikTok house and she'd come by, and she reintroduced me to Twitter.

I think the fandoms on Twitter are really well put together. Obviously there's drama, which honestly is part of the enjoyment of it. With most fandoms — like ongoing television shows, or [when] a band drops an album — there's always huge buzz and [the commentary] is super up-to-date, and I love that side of Twitter. I don't want to say too much about it, but #MinecraftTwitter is crazy. These Minecraft gamers will get 200K Likes in two hours, and then people come and fight them. Everyone's so passionate on Twitter. I like that I can just lurk and not have to get involved, which is a very big plus.

Now that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel [with the pandemic], I'm on campus next semester, and I'm definitely going to take advantage of real life again. Having to shift to the internet, you know, it's fun — obviously I love the internet — but I want to remind people to do things in real life, and hang out with their friends. I want to bring that energy back.

Words are so hard to get right, but if you get them right, there's nothing better — the funniest Tweet wins. You could be the smallest account ever, but if you have a good idea, you go to the top, and I really like that. If you’re trying to get a large following, [make sure] you’re doing it for the right reasons, and remember that no two success stories are exactly the same. In addition to that, an overnight success story is actually a five- to ten-year journey. You just don't see that five to ten years prior. You just see the glow up. Finally, be yourself, because if you do end up gaining a following, however big or small, you want to make sure you're doing it being somebody you are, not somebody that you aren't, because it'll end up being a better journey.

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