Twitter is the Wonderbread of intellectual nutrition

I was just reading Phil Windley's exposition on why he's dumping Facebook for Twitter. No big loss for him, as both of the "services" reek of potty: He simply chose the lesser of two noisy and vapid "conversations." It's like choosing between brands of puffed rice.

People like Phil love Twitter because it gives immediate, to the point information. People like me hate it for almost exactly the same reason. I want real information, real thinking. I don't want soundbites that serve as excuses for real thought.

I choose my literature in the same way. I prefer books that stand the test of time to become classics. Dostoevsky. Dickens. Dreiser. I'm not very interested in Archie comics. Not anymore.

SMS and other short-form messaging systems have their purpose, but anyone hoping to subsist on Twitter's "Wonderbread" nutrition needs to reevaluate their ongoing education. The best ideas emerge from the best thinking, and the best thinking doesn't take place in 140-character bursts. We're entering an age where we seem to have shorter and shorter attention spans. The way to beat that is not by succumbing, but rather by training ourselves through real reading.

Because of Twitter, Phil knows that there were tornadoes today in Laramie and Denver. Because of real literature and yes, even blogs, he might actually know what to do about them.

[Automotive-marketing]

Yes u were right..but i sometimes like the point based information just answering pointedly to what i need and some times i demand for more analysis..so it depends in person to person and topic to topic.

But i agree with you that days have come with very little time to attend or listen to what one speaks or writes. my mom always reads books and i liked the way she educates me whatever she reads in there. thats a nice way of teaching a child..this may be an offtopic but wanted to tell this..

cheers
http://www.portfolio-europe.com

[gialyons]

I use Twitter as sort of a feed reader now. Many post links to thoughtful blog posts. Guess how I found yours.

[stormypeters]

Maybe there's not a lot of deep thoughts or 140 word essays on Twitter but there's a lot of astute observations that make you think or just laugh. There's also a lot of answers to quick questions.

[br524]

I use twitter to alert people about interesting conversations happening on our live UStream feed. This promotes an even more open environment for open source development. See this post for more details: http://robinsontechnology.com/blog/2008/05/28/opensource/

[lynnsdragons]

You've missed the point. Twitter is a conversation. It is about developing relationships. You can read Dickens, but you can't ask Dicken's questions when something may not make sense. You can read Dostoevsky, but can Dostoevsky hook you up with people that can help you meet potential clients, or consultants on things you need? People have different reasons for using Twitter. Many are not just looking to for a sound bite or to find out what the weather is like somewhere. Twitter is the card catalog for the library. Yes, there is the children's book section, but that doesn't mean you can't find reference works and links to true learning and grown up ideas. Don't just stand in front of the puffed rice cereal. There is also good stuff just down the aisle.

[Carlsburgyears]

Not all twitter feeds are just drivel. Check out www.twitter.com/The_Pub_Debates or the feeds from PBS, NPR or other public issues forums.