Explaining Twitter to the Twynics

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Mark

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22 July 2009 11.12

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I don’t think an online movement has ever attracted the kind of naked contempt and sometimes actual anger that Twitter does, from those who don’t understand it.

So when I have a friend who is asking incredulously why I waste my precious time on Tweetie or Tweetdeck, this is how I try to explain it.

It’s not a glorified Facebook status

I think much of the confusion comes about as a result of people viewing it as a social networking tool. I don’t believe that Twitter is about conversation, like Facebook or discussion forums or even instant messenger. As the term ‘microblogging’ suggests, the focus is much more about broadcasting.

It’s is about sharing valuable stuff; news, opinion, ideas, entertainment (for some of us hearing somebody rant about their tube journey constitutes entertainment).

No, I’m not interested in what Britney had for breakfast either

So if Twitter is a multi-million-channel broadcast network, then you simply need to choose which channels you find most valuable. If you don’t want to know celebrity gossip or the latest football transfer rumours or the finer points of fluid dynamics, then choose accordingly. After all, one man’s tube rant is another’s comedic gold.

There are no lead times to sharing

Not even the time it takes to write a blog post like this. That valuable stuff I mentioned earlier can be sharing instantaneously, in some cases making that valuable stuff even more useful.

It allows valuable stuff to travel across our natural spheres of connectedness

You don’t have to create valuable stuff in order to create value – the Retweet allows this valuable stuff to quickly jump the usual barriers to word-of-mouth, utilising a myriad number of people who overlap into different circles of influence. This is why an idea can spread so quickly across the Twitterverse.

It feels good to share

Whether it’s the cynic’s opinion that everybody wants their 15 seconds of internet fame, or a more humanist one, that everyone wants to feel that they’re contributing to the greater good; there’s no denying the personal satisfaction when something you have found or created begins to spread through the community. It’s kind of addictive. But that’s ok, because it means more people will share more valuable stuff more often.

So that’s what I reckon Twitter is for – probably the only slightly controversial thing I’ve said is that Twitter isn’t about conversation. However, as with this blog post, there’s always an opportunity to discuss something that’s been shared – so it’d be great to hear what you think.