As I stated in the last installation of "Results May Vary," I'm very skeptical of the whole Twitter trend. Of course, I was skeptical of Myspace and Facebook, too. The thing is, I have a few issues with the very idea of it that I can't seem to reconcile, even though a lot of people are on Twitter now (only the trendiest people, of course, of which I am not really one).
1. Well, I don't need another addiction to keep me online half of the day obsessively checking a single website. That's what my Facebook is for. I always fear that if I start going to a new website, it will quickly turn into a sick addiction for which I will needs loads of rehab that won't work because goddammit I just don't want to live without it in my life.
2. Facebook has status updates. Everyone is on Facebook. Why do we need a whole website basically of status updates that you could post-- albeit in shorter form-- on your personal Facebook profile that you most likely have?
And I think my main issue with it....
3. Seriously, does anyone care that I'm making oatmeal for breakfast? The idea of a website where you update your "followers" on even the most mundane happenings of your life is ridiculously egocentric and narcissistic. No, I do not care how much you like Reel Big Fish and how you've been listening to it all day blah blah. No one really cares. You just pretend you care so that other people pretend they care about what you have to say.
I have seen that a lot of you lovely people are on Twitter. I don't mean to sound like an old geezer who thinks the young people should just send a goddam letter or call each other more often (though, yes, I do), or that I'm subtly trying to send a personal insult your way (never, I swear!), but it's all a little confounding to me why people have attached themselves to it so readily when there are very popular social networking sites about and such. I've been tempted to join up, purely out of interest of perhaps gaining better ties with members of the blogging community (I don't have any good personal friends who tweet), since that's what it seems a lot of bloggers are doing today-- perhaps it's a great form of PR I'm missing out on.
So here's the part where you guys come in and fill my comments box with important information: Do you tweet? What is it that attracts you to Twitter? If you don't have a Twitter, why not? Do you see it as a good tool for doing one's own PR for a website? Do you really care if someone's making oatmeal in their PJs? Seriously, tell me what you think!
P.S. Sorry for my sporadic blogging/commenting as of late. I just got home from college a bit ago, and I've been enjoying some quality time with the boy and friends, and now I'm back to work. I have not abandoned you, though! Oh no, I have not. :)
2 comments:
I don't know, I use it less for "I ate oatmeal this morning" and more for "OMG just got a $110 sweater for $20 YESSSSS" things.
Think of it as storytelling, microblogging, or just another way to have a conversation with someone else. But if you really don't see the point, then you don't need to do it.
I twitter, but I still have mixed feelings about it. I only use it to follow my friends, Neil Gaiman, and Imogen Heap. I'm with Brittney in that I try to use it for microblogging sorts of things. I try to keep it funny or informative, or at the very least clever.
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