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January 29, 2010
Marcy Shieh
The word “tweeting” has achieved as much Internet fame in 2010 as “You’ve Got Mail” did back in 1998.
Twitter has become a fierce staple of America’s cultural consciousness. With only 140 characters per post, politicians, talk show hosts, celebrities, parents and students can have their say about issues ranging from President Barack Obama’s recent State of the Union speech to the release of the iPad. While Twitter is an Internet phenomenon, it has not escaped criticism.
Critics of Twitter argue that Twitter is simply a more minimalistic approach to other social networking sites, such as Facebook. That is true to some extent; Twitter is Facebook, without the self-absorbed profiles, stalkerazzi photos and FarmVille invitations. It is essentially a collection of Facebook status messages, posted at generous servings of five-minute intervals. Anyone can reply, unless the Twitter is set to private.
Twitter is, at heart, a blogging tool that reveals some, but not all. Popular social networking sites, such as Facebook, may promote connections between classmates and co-workers, yet those services have, more or less, exploited the voyeur in each individual.
Although Facebook heightened a sense of intimate knowledge of people I already know, the key to Twitter’s popularity is the increasing number of celebrity accounts.
Celebrity accounts are indicated by a “Verified Account” logo on the top of the sidebar. Some celebrities may use their Twitter account to “connect” with their fans by asking their fans questions–or even vice versa. There is no reason to go in-depth, unless he or she is an overdramatic Disney starlet.
Actor Tom Hanks recently created a Twitter, filled with updates from his upcoming films, Larry Crowne and Toy Story 3. Writer Diablo Cody often types witty one or two-liners on life and pop culture. Film critic Roger Ebert often posts links to photos and new stories that interested him. They are just a few well-known names that dominate the Twitter airwaves and simultaneously reveal a modest part of their limelight soul.
There are reasons why celebrities use Twitter instead of Facebook: It’s fast, easy-to-use and maintains a level of privacy. People don’t have to be an open book. Perhaps less is more.
But Twitter is not just for celebrities. Twitter may not satisfy every inch of curiosity, but for every aspiring poet or writer or serial complainer, Twitter may be just the place to organize sporadic ideas that may seem to be a waste to post on Facebook. While I may not have as many followers as the Larry King, Twitter is perfect for a person like me who is full of random thoughts that are ready to burst.
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