Just when you thought Twitter was all about shaming and spiteful little spats, it goes and does something that surprises you.

In a happy change from presidential ranting, the social media platform has proved it can be a force for good, too, as it recently became a tool for reuniting two childhood pals.

Brianna and Heidi became best buddies on a cruise in Hawaii in 2003, and haven’t seen each other since.

Then Brianna got to reminiscing the other night, posting a photo of the two girls together on her Twitter account, and appealing for help. 

Remarkably, just a few hours later, Heidi identified herself, popping up on the platform to say hi to her friend of old.

She even held a family photo of the cruise, which showed her wearing the same dress as the one she wore in the picture with Brianna.

The reaction to Brianna and Heidi’s surprise virtual reunion was as elated as you might expect: 

Brianna and Heidi formed an instant bond on the cruise their families went on all those years ago, partly because they were among the few children aboard the ship at the time.

“We didn’t keep in touch at all. We didn’t exchange numbers or anything. All I had was the picture,” Brianna told the Metro. 

“Last night I was going through old scrapbooks and watching vacation videos and I saw her. So I was like wow let’s see if Twitter can find her for me.

“I thought it would be at least a week until I found her,” she added. “I was so shocked… We started DMing and really clicked.”

Both girls are now college students and although they live a long way from one another in the States, they plan to meet up at some point.

In the meantime, their story got other people thinking about their childhood buddies, too, until Brianna’s entire message feed became a tribute to long-lost holiday friendships:

Inspired to find your own random holiday pal circa 1996? You only need turn to Twitter for help… 

Images: Getty