Volume – 9 – Twitter me this
Twitter – a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 bytes in length. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. (Wikipedia – Twittier <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter>)
So another social networking site has made its way into pop culture. Another form of lifecasting, where instead of having a steady stream of videos, people are instead using a steady stream of posts to let people know what they are doing, thinking, feeling, whatever.. Personally I have yet to make a Twitter account and plan to hold off as long as possible. I don’t see the need to update people on the mundane actions of my daily life (i.e. Just ate breakfast!.. At the gym.. Working ’till 11.. Meeting up with Freya for drinks!..). I also have no interest in reading the status updates written by others, if I wanted to know, I would call/email/text/talk face-to-face with these people I call my friends.
Richard Clark, writer for ‘Christ and Popular Culture’, stated in his article The Theology of Twitter:
One observation that is foundational to the beginnings of twitter is the state we are in as a culture. If there is one thing that has suffered in our age it is relationships. People have very little time to cultivate relationships, share concerns and hopes, and make their needs known.
Richard Clark says it perfectly. Twitter is a new means of self-representation that gives people the allusion of maintaining relationships with those among us. The following video sums up my feelings about Twitter perfectly and is quite hilarious so I suggest watching it.. Enjoy!
