Anyone with a Twitter account has more than likely experienced the overflow of commentary and general trolling that inevitably accompany widely broadcasted events. The 21st century phenomenon known by many as live tweeting typically happens during major sporting events, award shows or other events that claim massive worldwide audiences—for example, the Super Bowl, the Grammys, the Academy Awards, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, etc.

The live tweet sensation has gained such a level of notoriety that it is often sited in news stories—left shark or Kanye West for example. During the weeks following the Super Bowl and the Grammys, these subjects have become newsworthy topics media outlets continue to explore from every possible angle.

In almost every situation, the progression of such an influx of social media activity can be nearly insufferable. Tweet after tweet pours into one’s timeline at an impossible rate, making the whole affair increasingly more annoying.

Every viewer becomes an expert. Everyone knows everything about what is happening, and everyone has something to say about it. People form opinions based on no more background knowledge than another person’s tweet from two minutes ago. Without such knowledge, content becomes increasingly more infuriating to the informed audience, and its intellectual qualities decrease at a similar rate.

But there is beauty in the massive deluge of comments, memes and random thoughts. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, sometimes millions of people are living in exactly the same moment, seeing exactly the same images and interpreting them.

Two people living across the world from one another can have a conversation about an event happening in front of both of them by the simple use of a hashtag. Obnoxious as a flooded timeline may be, the concept of consuming the same form of entertainment as so many other people at the same time is overwhelmingly unifying.

Why else, beyond personal gratification, would so many people broadcast their thoughts than to share that experience with the world?

Whether a participant or a bystander, Twitter users should not be annoyed by live tweeters, there is a mute button for a reason. Instead of complaining about the massive flood of commentary on one’s timeline—adding to the mess rather than making it stop—he or she should recognize the unifying abilities of such a phenomenon.

It’s a wonderful experience to be able to process the same pieces of information as such an exceptionally large audience.