I thought I should try and cover some of the big stuff first. Not really, I've just been thinking about twitter. The online phenomenon where people update the world with every little thing they do in their lives, from having a cup of tea, to taking out the rubbish (trash). (As if you didn't already know)
All about the now
Aren't we missing something in twitter? Is twitter too much about the RIGHT NOW, it looses all meaning? Would you go back and read past twitters? "Wow, Jane drank tea in 2009! I like tea too but I didn't know her love went back so far. I feel so connected with her."
English teachers (Fame)
One possible reason is the impact of English teachers. Yes... English teachers. I'm sure if you think about it you can remember lessons where you read extracts from the diary of someone long dead and that person is now kindda famous. Be it Anne Frank or Samuel Pepys (fire of London). Your teacher probably went on at length about the importance of these documents as an insight into another world and of course they are. They are also relatively unique insights and whilst I'm sure most of them weren't made with this in mind. The message from English Teachers is "If you write it it may make you famous and also relevant. You'd be creating something that outlives you for centuries to come." Powerful stuff! Of course a lot more powerful if we lived in a time when little records of our lives were kept long term. Why create one now? Everything we see, do and say seems to be recorded and logged somewhere. There's more known now than ever before and more documented than ever before. Rather than twitter giving us relevancy our lives are likely to be lost in a sea of voices.
Art form
It's good, but is it art? Definition: "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." Ok. so some twitters are probably more than ordinary. But then I would imagine most of them aren't. But then if I paint something I can guarantee it won't be more than ordinary (as I can't paint). I might still call it art, but I don't think an art expert would. I do wonder if Shakespeare was alive today and he twittered, would student still be dissecting their meaning and relevance hundreds of years from now? Probably not. It's quite difficult to convey the emotional and cultural resonance you get from a play in 140 characters.
Historical Caveman
Yes... I think they were the ones that truly invented twittering (old style). Of course they painted their daily activities on walls. Accordingly to the best rated Yahoo answer it was "to pass time. the same reason little kids draw in the dirt with a stick" Did we start twittering for the same reason? Boredom? Maybe that explains why there's little value in some of the messages... But then twittering is more than just filling time, isn't it?
Social Need?
We wake up and get out of bed and every day for us is working towards something. Twitter doesn't address the basics of 'food, water and shelter'. I doubt you'd really use it to attract dates (hmmm... or would you?) It wouldn't be my first approach to dating, put it that way. There is another need and that is psychological need. The genius of our evolution in a species that isn't the strongest, fastest, biggest animal in the kingdom is being able to work together. Fail to work together and your dead. So it makes sense that we're evolved a social NEED. But isn't social need a two way thing? Does twitter really address that?
Self obsessed?
As an analyzer, I'm very familiar with the idea of self obsession. Although I try my best to to inflict it on others and remain kind and generous. This is already probably the longest blog posting in the world, so I won't do into why we're self obsessed. That's a blog in itself. So for the moment let's just accept that we all are. So twitter's like having a newspaper that's dedicated just to YOU. You're a celebrity in your own world. Generated by you, for the praise and self assurance of you. You feel good because you achieved that cup of tea. It was hard work dragging yourself away from the computer/tv to make it and now you reap the rewards. Why not congratulate yourself and post it for the world to see.
Conclusion
Like most things we do, it's all about the feel good factor. That's not going away and twitter is the latest in a long list of inventions to help us feel better. It gives us reassurance and (at least we think) meaning. I started this post thinking it was pointless 'noise' and that I'd never use it. But, actually. It makes a lot of sense. I think twittering will become BIG.
But it's still not everything. It won't replace all the other things we do. If you want to research a subject you don't go to a historian's twitter to gain insight on the 18th century. You'll only learn about the garden shed their building. Luckily there's still a role for subject based communication and not just updates.
What do you think? Add your comments below!
