t@lking about Twitter

What is Twitter?

Twitter is:

twit·ter [twíttər]

1. chirp: to sing in a succession of light high-pitched chirping sounds (refers to birds)
2. chatter: to chatter or giggle in an overexcited or nervous way


or


"a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting."


From the literal definition of the word Twitter, we can see what Twitter is and what Twitter was meant to be: a way of communicating brief messages, however annoying they may be. Twitter began as a way of simultaneously sharing information in a concise way - to relay what you're doing or what's on your mind to the world in the same manner a bird chirps because it wants to. Twitter has grown over the years as a corporate messaging platform to fuel for revolutions. The use of Twitter as a means of communication has allowed revolutions and movements to become more organized and unifying - in both good and bad situations. For example, Twitter helped to organize the protests in the Arab Spring, as well as to organize so-called "flashrobberies" which are planned robberies involving large numbers of people who essentially attack a store in the style of a "flashmob." Some would argue that Twitter has more benefits than disadvantages like being able to microblog, finding out the newest information and trends, talking with friends remotely and getting opinions/feedback from people for decision-making and I'm not saying whether Twitter has more advantages or disadvantages (that's up to you to decide for yourselves), but Twitter certainly has many disadvantages too. One could say that Twitter is meaningless (but then, what is meaningful?), that Tweets don't carry much meaning if they're only 140 characters long, that it's not really necessary or desired by your friends and family to hear you talk about every minute detail of your life, and that it's not necessarily safe for you or your job. Sure, Twitter always opens up with a sign up/log in page, but the page doesn't mean anything. One could easily circumvent this minor roadblock to unravel the treasures that lie behind it. For instance, I was able to follow most of Thursday's Twitter conversation without actually signing up for Twitter by going on certain individuals' profile pages and reading their Tweets (e.g. a certain @veggiesanddip). 


As some of you may know, I don't use Twitter. It's not like I'm dead-on against Twitter, but I don't really see a purpose in using it personally. First off, having another social media outlet would just lead to more distraction from whatever school work or activities I have. Being like some other members of the class, I tend to lurk around social media - that is, "Facebook stalking," and having a Twitter account would just mean more things to "stalk." Another reason that I don't use Twitter is because I don't really like to broadcast my life to the public and I don't really have much to say. As the saying goes, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." I would hate for my imaginary Tweets to become actual twitter which gets annoying (imagine a bird constantly chirping a useless and pointless tune over and over until the original beauty of the melody becomes lost in a monotonous drone). Also, adding an extra social media outlet is just another way someone can scrutinize you. Maybe not now, but in the future, your employer might stumble upon your Twitter account and sees that a certain employee has used an expletive in a Tweet, maybe for the first time. Perhaps this employer is particularly picky about swearing and decides to talk to you about this. Then what do you say? What if your choice of wording has lowered the standards, moral integrity and reputation of your company? For me, Twitter has just never been something of real interest, but if it's something that you do use (a lot), then think twice before you post. And remember that there is always someone watching.    


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