In today’s world, everyone always
has something to say about what is going on around him or her, and wants
everyone else to know it. Whether it is about what they ate for lunch, the job
they are searching for, or the cute thing their daughter did that day, someone
is always looking for a fast and easy way to share information like this with
others.
With this in mind, comes along the wonderful world of microblogging.
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. There are many
different forms of this such as Twitter, Plurk, and Twixtr, out there in the
world that everyone wants to become a part of and fast.
Microblogging’s most popular
decendant is Twitter, which is an online social networking service that allows
it members to share and read pists of up to 140 characters. These 140 characters
together compose a tweet, which is a thought or piece of information one wishes
to share with his or her followers. .
Almost everyone is a part of twitter, it
is one of the biggest things to happen to the internet since google. If you
aren’t a part of it, you are definitely missing out, because once you start you
immediately become a relgious twitter member. Twittter is a service that has
gained worldwide popularity, with 300 million users as of 2011. It is a quick,
easy, and fun way to receive information from people all over the world.
Twitter is a form of communication that’s
extremely helpful to companies, teens, adults, and anyone who is interested is
being able to receive information fast! However, after having spent a lot of
time researching the microblogging phenomenon, specifically twitter, I began to
question the continuous fad. Is Twittter a form of communication that is soon
going to expel other forms of communication such as talking on the phone or
actually having a conversation in person? Are people soon going to be speaking
140 characters or less? 
I can see how Twitter has impacted our daily life. It is a powerful Social Media agent. Because of Twitter, News, important messages and live events are spreading out faster. The post itself can be powerful with a limited of 140 characters. It forces users to write directly and concisely. While many people have received benefits from using Twitter, I still find it “difficult to use”. I only logged into my account probably once a day, and I find myself a little overwhelmed seeing many tweets on the screen (not to mention I am only following 10 people/companies). I find it hard to keep track on important and relevant information.
ReplyDeleteI hope you agree with me that twitter works better as a cellphone app over a website. With the help of smartphones, people share photos, video and status more often because it is convenient and easy to so. However, I have a feeling that smartphones also create distance- people talk less in real life because they are focusing on the screen more. It is common to see a group of people, sitting in the same table with smartphones in their hands. How often do you check Twitter or any type of microblogging agent? Has microblogging taken the power in our life?
I totally do agree with you that twitter works better as a cellphone app over a website! I feel as though as a website it has the ability to distract those, just as facebook as done to the world. I also find it extremely hard to keep track of important and relevant information with all of the other people out there who feel it is necessary to tweet about their every move. Thanks for your comment, very much appreciated!!!
DeleteVery true. Plus, we can search content on Twitter. Not easy to do a search with a cell phone --- maybe my phone is not smart enough.
DeleteWhen I joined Twitter in 2009, I did it for one reason, in order to get news and sports update faster. One of my first acts on Twitter was calling out one of ESPN’s sports reporters. I got a direct message from that person and since that point I have fallen in love with Twitter. It’s great that Twitter is the leader in breaking news before it hits the television. Twitter has come with its downfalls though when breaking news. It has seemed like once a week a famous celebrity has “died” from false reporting. When one person tweets something, it can spread like wildfire causing my harm than good. It is great to be able to communicate easy with celebrities, but like all things Twitter comes with its major downfall.
ReplyDeleteI was actually just thinking about how twitter has continuously been reporting false information specifically about people passing away. As much as i love twitter too, trust me im completely addicted, the downfalls do seem as an unattractive quality to me. Im very jealous that you received a personal message from a ESPN sports reporter, thats so cool!!
DeleteTry to mention their name and ask them questions and see if they will answer. Sometimes, they may respond on their own; other times, their agents will help them. Either way, it is such a good way for communications. I, personally, also like Twitter a lot more after we use it very often in class.
DeleteWhen I first joined Twitter 2 years ago, I was completely against it. I did not want to have another social media website that would be taking over my life just like Facebook does. On average per day, I go on my Facebook and Twitter account at least 5-6 times and spend about 15-20 minutes each time I access these websites. I used to think that twitter was a stupid way to post inside jokes or funny quotes that you would hear through out the day, when you were with your friends. I did not believe that it would benefit me, or that I would have time to figure out how to use it. As time went on, more and more of my friends started using Twitter, and would make fun of me for not having one. But in reality I did.
ReplyDelete140 characters is not a lot to work with. I do not believe that twitter will expel all other forms of communication. There are many other social media websites that will continuously thrive. It is incredibly difficult to have a back and forth intelligent conversation on twitter. It should be a place where information, news, and activities is placed so that people can be updated on other peoples lives, that they do not normally communicate with each day. Communication should not be suffering because of these sites. As time goes on you realize that your communication skills with other people face to face is beginning to deteriorate. I do not believe that this is healthy. People should be comfortable with having conversations, and not feel that these social media websites are taking over all forms of communication or their lives.
I agree with you. I also see Twitter is an "additional tool" for communication. To think deeper, how can business use Twitter for their benefits? Do you think Twitter will replace a call center?
DeleteIt is crazy to think how far certain social media sites have come. I agree that Twitter has made an substantial impact on many people's lives. Besides for our personal lives, businesses, companies and even celebrities have found the secret to twitter and how it could help them. Twitter is a great way to share ideas as well as "advertise" because it is free! What companies need to understand is that it is more important to connect with your followers rather than advertise; people will look right past this and never read anything you write anymore. Micro blogging can help build trust and give an insight to your product especially in the hospitality industry because our products and services are intangible.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first signed up for Twitter I was on it much more often and for different reasons than I am now, because now I have learned many of the pros to this site that I did not know of before. I used to use Twitter solely to follow my friends and write little blurbs of what was popping in my head at that moment. But, eventually that got boring and I realized what I should be doing. Now, I am following companies that could actually help me out. Whether it is posting job offerings or even Jet Blue posting delays for flights, this is what helps people; not writing what you are doing at that very moment.
Lastly, I do not think Twitter will take the place of complete conversations, even though today, our generation rather connect with one another via email, text, or Facebook. Nothing can ever replace true and genuine conversations and relationships, so I hope that people can still have these relationships while also utilizing these sites as an added value.
Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networking sites of the 21st century. When i first heard of Twitter, like many others I was reluctant to join for the mere fact that it was just another social network that would consume my time. After much persuasion from friends I decided to make a Twitter account and see what all the "hype" was about. From a start as a social platform for celebrities to connect with fans, Twitter has now emerged as one of the largest sites boasting over 300 million users. It seems that people tweet every action that they do; they tweet as soon as they wake up and right before they go to sleep everyday. People now use Twitter as the new form of communication between each other. Instead of picking up a phone to send a simple text message or make a phone call, people now resort to tweeting messages and waiting for a response. I believe social networks like Twitter have already began to replace face to face communication, and it will eventually lead to a lack of necessary communication skills amongst this generations' youth.
ReplyDeleteBecause Twitter has become so incredibly successful so quickly, it's easy to see why it continues to gain popularity - the more people that join, the more likely they are to share it with their friends, who will share it with their friends, and so on. However, I don't think it will expel other, more traditional, forms of communication, simply because to express more complex thoughts, feelings, and ideas, we need more than 140 characters. That being said, Twitter certainly does an excellent job of quickly providing bits of information to a huge audience. While perhaps one "tweet" does not convey an entire thought or idea, when used correctly, those 140 characters may influence the reader of the tweet to seek out the whole story.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, especially with today's discussion. When I first started Tweeting back over a couple of years ago, I had no idea what I was doing and it literally seemed pointless. I soon found that it made it so much easier to communicate with my friends, loudmouth my random thoughts, and promote my own brand.
ReplyDeleteTwitter has become the most prevalent microblogging tool, mainly because of its accessibility and ease of use. A tweet is no more than 140 characters, which makes it a great way to shoot out random thoughts and ideas, websites, and sentences to friends. Tumblr isn't the same -- it's not nearly as easy to use, nor is it in "real time". Twitter is like Facebook status after Facebook status -- or, it could be argued that Facebook statuses are longer Tweets.
Regardless, I find Twitter to be the most prevalent and powerful microblogging tool. Boom.