Twitter is not pointless
Twitter is not pointless. I’ve said it, I’ve argued for and against it, and now I’d like to take a side. Here’s why; I recognize the over-saturation of social media applications in the online environment, and the surmounting concern that we’re facing another dotcom bust. While that argument is one for another time and place, I do believe that there are certain applications that have the ability to change societal communications, and twitter is currently at the top of my list. This is not news. Those “in the know” with twitter are, for the most part, already familiar with its power and its addictive nature. While critics will argue that we shouldn’t care about the day-to-day, minute-by-minute updates from a stranger on the other side of the continent (or next door for that matter), I believe that not only do we care, but we also should. We are interested. Like other successful social media sites, the service is only as effective as its users; twitter will only grow and continue to remain popular so long as there are users around to tweet. But it’s the mix of casual insignificant tweets (read: I’m cooking up steak and corn on the cob tonight) with powerful timely events (read: Watching the flood waters rise higher as the rain falls harder) make this tool easy to consume, easy to participate, and highly entertaining.
I’ve heard many who go on, and on, about twitter as a complete waste of electronic space. While some of those arguments have merit, I’ll argue against them for the purpose of getting my “I <3 twitter” point across!
Argument: This technology has been around for a long time – twitter is nothing new. It’s no different than an RSS feed, email list, or news website
Twitter has integrated with mobile devices allowing input and output to happen outside of a browser or a computer. The number of clicks to obtain the information is very small – in fact, if you install an open-source third-party application such as twitteriffic or twitterberry, you barely need to click at all. It may be that the idea of quick, short text-based updates has been around since the internet was simply message boards, but in my experience with popular technologies, twitter is different. Twitter is about connecting – it’s a social media tool intended to build relationships and foster communication. RSS feeds are not intended to start any real conversation – RSS feeds is a one-way communication feed. At the bare minimum, all you need a browser and enough knowledge to fill out the web forms for creating an account. If you’d like to get more advanced, the open-source nature of the service allows you to develop your own twitter-reader, which you could install on your mobile device if you were so inclined. You can add pictures via services like TwitPic and URL’s using TinyURL, which make it more interesting than an email inbox or an RSS reader. And although minor, each tweet is accompanied by an avatar from the author, which makes the post more personal.
Argument: I don’t want a play-by-play on your every move
Users have full control of whose feed to follow. Not interested in what your colleagues are having for dinner? Don’t follow them. Fascinated by the front lines of the 24-hour news race, Obama’s campaign, or the details from the latest tech start-up? Follow them instead. Your twitter feed is entirely personal and customizable. That means you decide what information you receive, and who you’d rather ignore. There are a lot of interesting people using twitter in fascinating ways. Even more interesting is the companies and large organizations using twitter in fascinating ways. Sure, it’s possible to take twitter at face value, curse social networking and ignore its potential, or you can see it for what it’s capable of; companies that can have a more casual, personal voice; customer service departments responding to angry tweeters with status updates for when bugs will be fixed. What about an alternate perspective on a breaking news story, written by a producer or cameraman on the scene? twitter is so, so much more than an archive of what I’ve had for dinner each night.
Argument: twitter is a time-waster
Well, I suppose any social media site could be a time waster if you spend all day reading everyone else’s work instead of doing your own. One small argument for twitter would be that because of the short updates and simple interface, a user can scan all their recent tweets with a very few number of clicks, spending way less time reading twitter updates than one would reading blog articles. Beware though – many tweets are simply plugs to encourage users to read the longer article.
Argument: Only techies are using it.
No, I don’t think so. The mainstream media have caught on. If CNN is using twitter in their diaster and political news reporting…
Argument: 140 character updates can’t replace real, hard hitting journalism
We’re in an 24-hour news environment, with TV networks, blogs, RSS, YouTube and social media all competing for our attention. Long, investigative articles will have a hard time fitting within the twitter environment; however twitter allows emergencies, disasters, and almost any breaking news to be posted instantly, with up-to-date information in a concise format.
Argument: It presents a risk to personal privacy
This argument is likely the toughest to argue against, particularly because I am both extremely paranoid and an advocate for much stricter privacy options for users. In the case of twitter, users have several options for privacy; First and foremost being the control users have in NOT revealing personal, identifying information. You can comment on current events and politics without revealing who you are or where you live. You can also take measures to ensure you are in control of who sees your tweets by protecting your updates and taking yourself off the public timeline. While I am a believer in privacy and security and the protection of personal information, I don’t believe in avoiding technology because there are risks. Instead I believe in educating yourself about the potential dangers and then taking measures to safely participate.
After all, there are risks in travel, but that hasn’t yet stopped me from trying the worlds best food, has it? (MMM Italian Gelato FTW). With technology you have to make a decision to participate based on willingness to be an active participant with your information, and make conscious decisions about which information to reveal and when (and if ever!).