Who the Hell does Twitter think it is?

Who the Hell does Twitter think it is?

Social networking sites have become a phenomenum over the past few years. Sites such as twitter and Facebook are used by millions around the world and are constantly referred to in everyday discourse if you have the ears to hear it. But what is it tha draws so many people to them and are they of any real value or are they merely a time wasting distraction? It has been suggested that Social networking should be renamed 'Social not-working'

In this piece I shall place my focus on my personal favourite -

Intended as a few thoughts rather than a comprehensive overview, I have wrote this pretty much on the hoof so if it lacks real focus or fluency then this is why. When I spend too much time on these things they tend to become overthought, po-faced and difficult to read, which kind of defeats the point.

So anyway, is twitter a complete;

Waste of time?

I always find it funny when people on Facebook describe twitter as a waste of time. This is a bit like Katie Price criticising Kate Moss for wearing to few clothes. Like most hypocisy there is an element of delusion and lack of awareness that is both amusing and infuriating. Yet this view that twitter and others are merely time wasting is common amongst those who have never participated or haven't perservered long enough to form a more rounded opinion. Or Jane Moir fans.


First of all I don't think the two things are mutually exclusive. After all time you you enjoy wasting is not time wasted. Newtworking sites work as a form of entertainment in much the same way as TV, computer games etc. They provide a kind of escape, a distraction - an opiate if you like. One area in which they rise above such other mediums is the social element. Many other forms of modern entertainment are solo pursuits which actively work to withdraw people from social interaction either physically or at least psychologially. They hem people off from others. As such, social networks can be seen as an antidote to this in a way. While human contact may not be there physically, it is there in spirit by drawing people together in a virtual manner.

It could perhaps be argued that it can also serve to facilitate social skills such as protocol and etiquette. However, there are strong counter-arguments to this and is probaly worthy of a blog entry of its own.

So why do people use twitter?

There are many people who use twitter as a kind of base. A touchstone for people to check back into when they've completed another activity. In this sense it is a good way to share day to day experiences with others in an interesting and amusing way. A bit like a surrogate husband or wife in a sense and there is nothing wrong with this. Anthropological studies prove that feeling that you are being heard by somebody is essential and has important psychological benefits.



Of course people also use it simply because it's fun. I find other people endlessly interesting. They are witty, brilliantly daft, honest, intelligent and reading people thoughts during popular TV shows can be hilarious. The X-factor is a riot on twitter. It is also a great place to access breaking news, collective viewpoints, art, culture, technology and even politics if you are so inclined.

For me personally I found it quite cathartic during a difficult period which is now thankfully over. A place for distraction, expression, humour and an outlet for grievances. As such it can help people navigate the carnage of a bad day in a positive way, working as both a soundboard and a release valve. Like all valves is can serve to have a decompressing effect, helping to release built up steam. Anybody who has witnessed one of my rare twitter rants will know exactly what I mean. I find it is important to use it this sparingly though as people are fine with it to a point but just don't want to hear it all the time. There are far more suitable forums for people who just want to beamoan their luck.

It also has to be said that there are also better outlets for meeting members of the opposite sex but that is a matter I have covered elsewhere on this blog and will discretely brush over here.

Crossing the boundaries of time, space and prejudice.

In a broader sense, sites such as twitter work to shrink the world into a single social space and works to remove boundaries such as class, race and culture. I value contact with a diverse range of people who I would otherwise not encounter through those age old barriers. The way twitter is formatted also makes it possibe to gain contact with people of similar inerests, intelligence and disposition if you so wish.

On a deeper level it can, and indeed has, worked as a powerful political tool as evidenced last year when lines of communication were censored by an oppressive regime.

The nature of internet relationships.

An aspect of internet relationships which places it apart from ordinary social rules are their availability and disposability. Internet relationships are essentially top pocket relationships. Like credit cards people are immediately available and disposable in the virtual world. It is so easy to cut contact from someone and never look back with no consequences. Also the process of choosing is reduced to a one dimensional image or a soundbite. The high emphasis on profile pics annoys me slightly but you could argue that this is merely symptomatic of wider societal values.

Also with the participants isolated as oposed to functioning within a natural social environment, there is also the ambiguity of writing in text. Devoid of body language, tone or irony, written words are often left wide open to interpretation with the meaning much larger in the minds eye of the reader. This can often lead to misunderstandings, confusion and even unrequited passions developing in some cases. Of course over time relationships can develop gradually and you can get to know people fairly well. Or as well as possible within the restrictions of cyberspace.

Is this really me?

This drags into focus just how well you can get to know a person on twitter. Any aspects of a persons personaility an be manipulated, concealed or embellished. Essentially you can make your appear any way you wish to in order to create a more favourable impression.

I do wonder sometimes if I paint an accurate reflection of myself on twitter. I think the answer to this is perhaps yes and no. Yes as in refleting who and what I am as a person but maybe no in terms of recognisability (is that even a word?). The reason why I say this is that people who know me personally perhaps wouldn't recognise me by what, and more particularly how I write. Like many, I am naturally more literate in text than I am in every day discourse. People tend not to usetheir full arsenal of verbiage in every day life as it wouldjust make them sound like a pretentious prat.

For example in real life I would say Scruffy fat git not 'A man, bellicose and belligerent with gravy stains'. But that is perhaps stating the obvious. Or orating to the ministry of obviousness if you like. People just don't talk this way. On my part I just like testing the elasticity of words and phrases sometimes for my own amusement.

Virtual insanity.

Of course like everyhing else such things can become addictive, unhealthy and can blur the line between reality and the virtual world. While gaining and maintaining contacts can be fun and rewarding, it is a mistake to place too much emotional value in people you essentially don't know and who don't know you.

Overall I think twitter and other such sites and great fun and real value on a variety of levels if understood for what they are. In my view they are certainly not a waste of time. If embraced they can provide a fun, entertaining and even psychologically nourishing form of entertainment, expression and sharing.