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@mikeyil as shot by Colin M. Lenton Photography.

This week my #FollowFriday is Michaelangelo Ilagan – known to all corners of the Philly social media world as @mikeyil.

Mikey can be glib and ridiculous, but he also just gets it. Not just social. It. Being a unique person trying to connect with others who are both different and the same. Or, in Mikey’s more eloquent words:

Light is made up of a spectrum of rays in every color. People can be the same way.

I met Mikey at my first Social Media Club of Philadelphia meeting. It was the first day of summer camp all over again. So, being at least a capable, socially-climbing brand of wallflower in those situations, I located the loudest, most gregarious person in the room, and introduced myself to him.

I think you can see where this is going. Mikey was awesome and introduced me to all of his friends. Even after I wandered out of the radius of his conversation, I could still hear Mikey yelling “BOOMslam” repeatedly from across the room to an uproarious table of beer drinkers.

I assumed that – being the loudest and possibly most well-known guy in the room – that Mikey was a “cool kid,” and that would be the last I would see of him.

I was ever so wrong. About the seeing him part, I mean. He’s totally a cool kid. Two-and-a-half months later we jumped out of a plane together, and two years ago today we threw a 24-hour fundraising marathon together. Et cetera, et cetera.

Since then, Mikey has turned into legit Philly digerati. If there’s a social event, a special brand promotion, or a plugged-in conference, you are going to see him there. He also absolutely bristles with opportunities – he’s always working with a new company on a social promotion and hoping to spread the love around to the business, bands, and artists among his Twitter follows.

For all that, and more, he’s my #FollowFriday of the week – and he had a lot to say to me over the course of our interview!

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@krisis: How do you use Twitter?

@mikeyil: These days, I primarily use Twitter to connect with like-minded folk. These people are of similar mindsets, interests, and geography (or geographic mindset). I use it mostly to discuss my passions of Philly, food, technology and design.

@k: I think of you as sort of a “fast foodie,” in that you love good food but you also have favorite culinary delights at a number of chain restaurants. What’s with the fast-food fixation?

@m: I am not afraid to admit that I kind of grew up on fast food. My parents were new to this country, so all types of American food were kind of a novelty, a treat. People were a lot more naive about health concerns back then. Coupled with the fact that we were perpetually on the go, and I’m sure I was a brat being victim to 80’s and early 90’s marketing-awful-food-to-children campaigns, my parents were probably led to placate me.

@m: Fast-food has been a part of my life ever since. Granted, I’m wholly American and in a less-naive era, but fast food will always be something that I’ll have a strange obsession with. My tastes in food really do range from prince to pauper. I’m no snob about the half-a-Benji entrees I’ll sometimes throw my money at, but I’m also not afraid to admit I eat like shit sometimes.

@k: What’s your favorite greasy treat?

@m: My favorites throughout the late 20th century: The Western Whopper and Rodeo Cheeseburger from Burger King in the late 1990’s. Taco Bell’s Enchirito which existed from 1970 to 1993, discontinued and then brought back in 1999. It’s still served. It’s a portmanteaux of enchilada and burrito, so that’s part of the reason why I like it, the wordplay and the dish itself. Hell, I love everything Taco Bell has pretty much ever made.

Lastly, I don’t actually like the KFC Double Down (too greasy, too much fried meat) but I enjoy it as a symbol of ironic, gross negligence and stubbornness in a modern era where self-responsibility is replaced by corporations being forced into a position where they can’t even produce products for people who actually have self-awareness and control. (Does that make any sense?)

@k: You refer to yourself as an “interactive designer,” but I’ve also come to know you as a photographer, writer, SM coordinator and even an event promoter. How did you amass these mad skills? And, do you see them as separate streams, or part of one big package?

@m: I see these skills as one big package. Sometimes I’ve got to apply a one-line label to myself. My LinkedIn simply says “Creative Professional,, my business cards say “Interactive designer, blogger, etc.”

I don’t like adhering to one medium, nor do I feel like I’m particularly very proud or exceedingly strong in any one department. I have a lot of skills, interests and creativity and I use them where I see fit. Design has been paying the bills for the duration of my career. Writing and taking pictures has given me creative outlets, and maybe some pocket cash.

[Read more…] about #FollowFriday Interview: @MikeyIl, Interactive Designer & Social Do-Gooder