Like millions of other people, I’m on Twitter. I’m not glued to it all day, but I try to check in at least once or twice daily to catch up on what others are saying and tell anyone who cares to “follow” me to find out what’s on my mind at the moment.
Unlike some, I don’t use it to signal my every move. But my tweets — Twitter’s term for messages — have ranged in significance from my thoughts on a major issue of the day to “going to bed now,” all in 140 characters or less as dictated by Twitter’s technology.
I also use Twitter to update my followers on my latest articles and blog posts. Indeed, a link to this article will find its way to anyone who happens to follow me at twitter.com/larrymagid.
As a Twitter user I’m in good company. Nielsen Online reported last week that “unique visitors to Twitter increased 1,382 percent year over year, from about 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to about 7 million in February 2009, making it the fastest-growing site in the member communities category for the month.”
The survey also found that the largest age group of people on Twitter is 35 to 49 and that “the majority of people visit Twitter.com. while at work.” In a recession, it’s fair to wonder if Twitter is costing employers billions of dollars in lost productivity.
But despite the fact I’ve been “tweeting” for several months and consider myself relatively hip to the tech scene and culture, I have admit there is something about Twitter that I don’t fully “get.”
I thought (and blogged attinyurl.com/dz48c3.) about Twitter last week when I read a transcript of a “twiitterview” between George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and Sen. John McCain. In a session which reportedly lasted about 20 minutes, Stephanopoulos asked McCain a series of questions — all in 140 characters or less — which McCain answered with equal brevity.
While it was in some ways refreshing to see a reporter and politician be so succinct, it was also unsatisfying and a bit scary to see an interview about important subjects like Iraq, Iran, terrorism and the economy reduced to tiny tweets that make TV sound bites seem like in-depth journalism.
When it comes to Twitter, I find myself more quizzical than cynical. Clearly it has appeal to millions of people and it must appeal to me. I find myself drawn to it not only to avoid missing news from those I follow but also to be sure I remain relevant in this ever-changing media environment.
I haven’t seen any compelling evidence that eschewing Twitter would have any negative impact on my journalism career. But I feel that I have to be there even though the number of people who follow me on Twitter is dwarfed by the numbers who have access to my columns and broadcasts.
When it comes to influence, it’s not just about numbers. It’s also about being an early adopter. Early last century, some newspaper people ignored radio at their peril, and there were radio personalities whose careers languished because they weren’t quick enough to add TV to their repertoire. And virtually every media company — for years — has been scrambling to build a Web audience even though few have yet been able to turn a profit from it.
That said, I’m still not convinced that Twitter adds value over other media. Radio added sound to news reporting, TV added pictures to radio and the Web added timeliness, frequency and depth to all of the above. But when it comes to the depth of the messages it can deliver, Twitter doesn’t add anything other than the ability for people to grab messages quickly and respond in kind. But it’s not as if everyone who responds to a New York Times tweet is reaching all New York Times readers or even Twitter followers. When you tweet, you only reach the people who have elected to follow you and, for most people, that’s a pretty small number.
Maybe the reason I don’t “get” Twitter is that I’m thinking about it as a medium rather than a means for people who know each other to chat among themselves. Of course, that doesn’t explain why Stephanopoulos and McCain and plenty of other people in the media and politics find Twitter to be worth their time.
Have a thought on this? Why not send it to me, naturally, via Twitter at @larrymagid. I may be quizzical but I’m covering my bets.
Be the first to comment