Twitter
I’m still not completely sold on the value or purpose of Twitter, but I’m getting into it more now that I’ve taken it mobile, which seems a requirement. The more I use it the more I like it, but I need more people on it — to follow and to follow me (aswindler). It’s such a conversational medium that it seems the more the merrier.
As with many new forms of social media, I would classify much of what I see and, for that matter, produce as Internet pollution. But I can see potential in this one. With enough people all tied in together, you could have group “chats” just be replying to various things that were said in your network. Or broadcast something new. But do it all through a single web form field.
I see some people using it to broadcast links that are interesting without all the effort of a blog write-up, or to recommend some great restaurant or event they are attending.
I must wonder though, what is the cost of twittering away our important messages in an open broadcast format rather than sharing them with those we love? Once you get some things out of your system, you don’t need to share them again. So we trade public record for intimate exchange. It wouldn’t be the first time, but I don’t see Twitter traffic taking the place of much face to face interaction.
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Categories: General, Social Media, Technology, Web |
But Andy, there’s a different kind of intimacy which Twitter facilitates. It’s no exchange for the kind you meant, but for me to know that you saw Branford and Josh over the weekend, or knew Avec participated in Earth Hour both clue me in to interests of yours about which I might not have known.
No denying, there’s still a lot to learn about (or “internalize”) about something like Twitter, but it’s interesting just to see how it unfolds.
I’d suggest the other “key” (maybe more than mobile) is a dedicated Twitter client like Twitterrific on Mac or Snitter on Windows. They bring it more purely into “continuous partial attention” which is where it works.
and hey, if you hadn’t “followed” me on Twitter, I might never have ended up here!
There is a beauty in the simplicity of Twitter that doesn’t exist elsewhere. I think people have a tendency to want “the one” social networking platform or technology that will finally bring everyone together in one place. Some are getting close, but it is probably just as much about all the amazingly creative different channels people are inventing to reach out to people in other ways. I’m sure we’re on some other networks, but somehow this is the one that connected us.
It seems harder to find people I know on Twitter. Not sure if that’s because there are fewer on (I believe this is true) or if it’s by design. As you say, it’s meant to be more intimate. Of course I see people with hundreds of followers and I’m sure that is a different kind of experience. But so far it just seems like I’m keeping my ear to the sound bytes from the lives of people I know, and that’s more interesting than I expected.
Earlier today I was talking to a 20ish year old guy who was telling me this tech guy I just met played in a great cover band that alternated acts each month. He just saw them do Journey. I remember him saying, “You just never know what people do in their personal lives. You can’t imagine.”
For those who wish to remain private, it may become harder to do so. But certainly there are wonderful things to learn about people through these new channels that are worth knowing. Surely I would have known to go see the next best thing to Journey had he told me through Twitter!