In amusing tech news, a trusting young man recently built a Twitter bot with the sole purpose of collecting Amazon links from total strangers and buying the items online to decorate his room.
Michael Reeves didn’t want to go the traditional interior decorator route or set up boards on Pinterest. What he was willing to do, though, was crowdsource the task, putting his trust and decor in the hands of Twitter.
Because, you know, Twitter is nothing if not helpful.
“Use Twitter to decorate my room,” he posted, with his video detailing the plan.
Use Twitter to decorate my room pic.twitter.com/ZHpeV9HtFh
— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 10, 2019
“I don’t know how to decorate anything,” he said in the video, viewed now over 4 million times. “Now I could ask friends for help or ask an interior decorator, but that’s social interaction, and I don’t support it. So instead, I wrote a Twitter bot that lets you decide what goes in my room just by tweeting it.”
And, of course, Twitter obliged.
People were instructed to tweet Amazon links (Amazon did not sponsor this) for any item under $25 that could go into Reeves’ room. For 24-hours the bot was programmed to find the links that got tweeted with the most likes every 15 minutes and purchase the item on behalf of Reeves. The items would be sent directly to his home unreviewed by Reeves.
There are not many things Amazon doesn’t sell, so there is a delightful randomness to Reeves’ decorating scheme.
Bot – Just purchased:
Chia Pet Bob Ross with Seed Pack, Decorative Pottery Planter, Easy to Do and Fun to Grow, Novelty Gift, Perfect for Any Occasion— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 10, 2019
Who doesn’t love some K-pop? And, a Bangtan Boys poster is not something you would think to buy yourself…
Bot – Just purchased:
Fanstown Kpop BTS Bangtan Boys Poster Wall Scrolls Poster Wings 24.4 x 16.2 inch Wall Hanging Cloth Poster (D05)— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 10, 2019
He even received the entire Twilight Saga Collection on DVD.
Bot – Just purchased:
Twilight Saga 5 Movie Collection [DVD]— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 10, 2019
That he can watch as he sits on his…
Bot – Just purchased:
ZKF Hanging on Door Swing Kit Set – Adult Indoor Swing Set Six Swing Black— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 10, 2019
It’s so nice when a home improvement project can bring the users of Twitter together.
**UPDATE:**
The max purchase price is now increased to a $90 maximum
— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 11, 2019
And it looks like he’s done. We will have to stay tuned to see what his final room looks like:
24 Hours is up. I shut down the bot.
Stay tuned for the YouTube video to see what I get ❤️
— Michael Reeves (@michaelreeves) October 11, 2019
BTW, Michael has already become Internet famous for his Roomba he hacked to scream stuff when it bumps into stuff: