Comments on: The case against Twitter

At best it's a silly distraction; at worst it's a stage for self-indulgent blather, and I don't care what you had for lunch.
Images: Two takes on Twitter

[pspierce]

the meaning of all this...

narcissism.

[felgercarbnaysay]

Absolutely

Twitter, Second Life, Myspace. All nonsense. Actually I think Blogs are not that interesting either mostly because those writing them are not that interesting.

[lizbetjane]

shallower ramifications

I think the "lives lived in public" phenom has more troubling effects. Streams of consciousness constantly spewed run shallower and shallower (as Twitter content proves); it's still waters that run deep, as the saying goes. A rich inner life is a prerequisite for great thought and great art, but you can't have much of an inner life if you expose every bit of it to the world in real time. The desperation to make connections evidenced by Twitter seems to come from not a surfeit of ego but its opposite, the terrible fear that a thought unexpressed and an action undescribed do not exist, and by extension neither do the thinker or the actor.

[Irate_Customer]

I'll Bet You Loosen Up...

...after a few drinks. Good grief, let's hope so.

Talk about over-thinking...

[CossetteBraxton]

I agree. There is less and less oppurtunity for people to think through events/moments in their lives by themselves. Every emotion and action is immediately shared. Twitter, especially, reduces every event -rendering traumatic events to the same level as what everyone is having for lunch.

[bobby_brady]

Damn, Elinor Mills is pretty!

Yeah, I'm not surprised about more young people have a social profile than older folks.

Gotta agree about Tivo, it's the best thing!

[auchard]

Don't get me wrong -- Twitter rocks

I have my doubts about Twitter -- I'm quoted in Elinor's piece. And while I stand by my comment about Coyote Ugly -- everyone can use a little rock and roll in their lives. That's when Twitter is handy.

[DanaCat]

Couldn't Agree More!

I've been reading about Twitter for a couple months now and am relieved to find someone else who is not of retirement age who thinks this medium is USELESS. (I am personaly just a few years past being a card carrying member of the coveted Gen Y demo.)

How narcissitic must these people be to think that anyone, including their friends, want to hear their every waking thought?

Not to mention the tremendous amount of time these people waste WRITING about life, when they should be LIVING it.

For heaven's sake people, unplug every once in awhile!

[stevegarfield]

Narcissism

Hi DanaCat,
Narcissism is the love of oneself, yet with Twitter, what you become engaged in is the life of others.

It's the water cooler for the age of working at home.

And it's more than just talking about yourself. It's like a mini-blog where you can point friends to things of interest.

The author writes, "Not only am I satisfied sending e-mails to groups of contacts when I feel the need to share, more importantly, I just don't have the time for Twitter."

If you have the time to send out an email you have the time for Twitter, but I actually think you really need a blog.

--Steve

[Pixelslave]

What a big waste of time

What I am seeing is a big waste of time, worst than doing nothing. If the time I spent on Twitter could be used on something productive, then of course the time wasn't wasted. Even if I spent the time doing nothing, then at least I would be resting -- preparing myself for something productive. What does the society gains when I post how many times I fart and how loud it is? Nothing.

[Chr1st0ph3r]

Rhymes with Twitter.

I'm interested to read the counter argument to this post because I really want to get the perspective of a real live Twit (twitterrer?), and maybe gain insight I'm currently lacking.

Presently however, the 140 characters of a Twitter post seems suitable as communication from only one place, the 5hi!tt3r. When else would one really have the inclination to say absolutely nothing of substance except when presented no other option than to admire the floor's tile-work, ponder the intellectualism of scrawled wall-poetry, or gaze intently at another Andre the Giant sticker? With luck, perhaps the act of putting so much attention to communicating -about- what you're doing in contrast to what you are actually doing will get the just reward of being flushed away along with the rest of the turds.

Don't drop your phone. ;)

[PistachioConsulting]

It's who you listen to, not what

I'd humbly suggest that the crux of your perspective is the word "random". I doubt anyone will find meaningful value tuning into random twitters. If you approached ANY communication medium (TV, phone, email, etc.) by tuning into random chatter from just anyone, you'd say that medium was a waste.

I used to barf on the Twitter idea too until I realized it's all about who you "listen" to.

Before I subscribe to anyone's feed I look at their last 8-12 posts. If they're using it to update me on their pets, menu selections and gripes with the world, I don't care how famous they are or who else subscribes, I just ain't gonna.

I use twitter to network (in a way), to learn about cool new things interesting to me and to stay motivated by "surrounding myself with successful people". It's the oldest career advice in the book, it just happens a different way now.

By the way, how did I come to read your article? Steve Garfield twittered the link. Hmm.

PS - Twitter also has some very fun user-developed "applications" like /darthvader, /stevenwright, /twitterlit and http://www.twitter.com/twitterflix (my own stream of movie quotes)

[Chr1st0ph3r]

good point

You're right. If the input to a communication medium is random, the value one gets out of the medium is also random.

Still, Neil Postman was more prophetic than he realized in "Technopoly" (Vintage Books 1992) when he stated, "Information has become a form of garbage." Twitter seems to be adding more to the heap, just in smaller amounts.

[chrisbrogan]

Twitter is My Friend

Someone else mentioned that you could follow the wrong blogger, the wrong press person, the wrong radio show people, and get the same feeling.

I use twitter as an Attention tool. I say "I'm listening to Buzz Out Loud" with a link. I say, "Do you think Download Squad are being silly?" with a link. So, I use it to point awareness.

Further, I have found it gives me that nifty gate-jumper access to people that blogs USED to give you back in the day.

Oh, and I don't have to log in, sign up, and jump over things to comment on a twitter.

[Irate_Customer]

LOVE my Twitter!

I'm well over 30 and love Twitter. I've discovered new music, lots of new blogs, "met" lots of interesting people, and have had a lot of laughs with it. Lighten up -- Twitter, like anything else in life, gives back what you put in. Some things are just meant to be lighthearted fun, jeez.

[jwalkernet]

The Value of Twitter

I hate needless banter too but not all Twitter is BS. If someone talks about muffins and bodily problems, stop listening to them. Listening to informed bloggers and analysts and software colleagues is useful. It's a handy way to maintain an arm's length relationship without the frontal commitment of email and phone. And it takes very little time each day to get a payback. The social ROI is good [not great yet]. But it does not fit some people. Just like IM doesn't.

www.radiowalker.com

[michaelbiddulph]

You have my vote

Excellent article Elinor and no competition from the opposing arguement for twitter.

Great read!!

Michael

[koa]

Enjoying Twitter

I am well past 30 as well and I enjoy Twitter. While I actually like the whole stream of consciousness idea, I don't post anything that is too personal nor do I follow anyone that does. I don't need to read anything about bodily functions, people getting drunk or any other ridiculousness. I post information about traveling and other sometimes unbelievable things that happen to me. I post photos of trips that I am taking or experiences as they happen. And I can assure you that I do live my life. The people that I follow are people who seem interesting, witty or funny not base or raunchy. What I have gained from my Twitter experience is exposure to all kinds of rich web content and tools that I would probably not have been otherwise. The 140 characters is great for someone who doesn't have to time to go to every website and read every article because I can focus my reading. Most people (those that I follow anyway) will give a brief description about a site, article, or whatever that they liked with a link to it. As with everything, it's how you use the tool that makes the difference. You can't slam the entire tool because someone chooses to use it to announce their bodily functions surely this can be done with email or even using the comment box on this site. It wasn't too long ago that the internet itself was being slammed by the naysayers yet this article is on the internet and not in a magazine or a newspaper. People were slamming email back as well then but the author finds use for it now. I vote yes on crotchety.

[aintnorainbowdorothy]

twitter et alia meaning social networks

You don't like Twitter? Then have them take Digg, deli.ci.ous (spelling?) and the other kaka off your blog. Or will this eat into advertising?

[Sea of Cortez]

One more useless crap from SiliconValley/SanFrancisco

What Twitter does which is a form of text chat & messaging has been done many times over.
There is NOTHING at all about Twitter that is technologically an advance or new. It is truly one of the biggest pieces of crap that has come out of Silicon Valley/San Francisco recently, only surpassed in how passe it's technology is and how useless it's overall functions are by 2ndlife.
The only reason that you hear Twitter being Hyped by Big media, is the same reason you hear
2ndlife being Hyped by Big media, which is bunch of Silicon Valley VCs and VC connected have
investments in them. If these guys were not in Silicon valley to San Francisco area and had not received VC funding you would never hear about them. Which should make you think how many great
products you do not hear about because they are not in the Internet cartel, which is Silicon valley to San Francisco area AND having received VC funding!

[dctechguy]

how true

Remember online bulletin boards,message boards, and chat rooms? Just another repackaging,but more inane. But someone must hype their investment to minimize their looking like fools.

[jailerjoe]

I agree.

I registered with c/net for the sole purpose of agreeing with you. Twitter has to be the most ridiculous waste of time, webspace, whatever, in the history of human kind.

I also have issues with cell phones and am still holding out and not owning one.

[dctechguy]

another web 2.0 waste of time

Twitter just provokes lots of questions. Aren't there already enough ways to communicate and expose oneself in the online world. Where is the business model here? Advertising? Will we have targeted ads from Google placed in our Twitter drivel? Will Twitter logs be used in a political scandal?

[ShadowGryphon]

Just to point something out...

In case this had escaped anyones notice, the first four letters of twitter -are- "twit", this should have been a clue to the usership right off the bat >=-)

[Matt Charron]

The first letters...

and then there's "wit".

[Matt Charron]

Twitter: A Conduit for Democracy

Ok. Twitter can waste time. So can going to Starbucks or the movies. But with Twitter there's some nascent power and learning going on.

Here's how.

1.) People who would normally work isolated, can interact with people all over the globe to get answers to questions, meaningful or trivial.

2.) Twitter provides direct "eye-witness" accounts from independent observers at the same event, occurring in near real-time.

3.) Twitter allows the development of light social bonds to form amongst people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, geographies etc. It is the social gravity of the web. A weak but important force in this era of "bowling alone".

4.) Finally, we don't know what we don't know about the reverberations yet to emanate from Twitter and other "social network" sites. I for one will bet on the unknown and ascribe to H.L. Mencken's quote - "Penetrating so many secrets we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits nevertheless calmly licking its chops."

[Matt Charron]

typed ascribe instead of subscribe

Sorry for the error!

[jleon1126]

People have been jumping on the "twitter" thing faster than you can say..

Britney's on the way to another rehab (no ****)

Do you really care..

that joe schmoe is on the way to gym and is late because he can't decide whether to have a protein shake or oatmeal for breakfast?

or billy bob is mowing the lawn?

or peggy sue can't find her favorite dress?

...is having pizza..

... is playing miniature golf..

...is watching a movie..

Seriously... does anyone give a flying f*$% what "you" were doing last sat at 9:23 pm?

Personally, I'm starting a "cleansing program"..

and I wondering if I should sign on to *sh*itter.com every time I'm runnin to the head, throne, toilet..

"i'll keep you posted"!

[geakz]

I guess I'm coming a bit late to the party. I Googled "anti twitter" and here I am. I divorced my Twitter account a few nights ago. I was reaching my 1,000th tweet. There were only a dozen people I followed. But I began having flashbacks to my early Internet days when I had an AOL account. I spent countless hours in chat rooms then, and enjoyed it. There are many who use Twitter for the same reason today. It frustrating when people you follow are spewing their twits to @others who you don't follow. So now there is this huge one-sided conversation, like listening to someone talk on their phone. Lord knows we have enough of that in our lives. Now we have to live it in text?
Great article that hits the nail on the head and is still relevant today (11/13/08).