Twitter Ramblings

What is Twitter? I don't think anyone can really put a label on it. In one form its a communication platform, in another its a means for shameless self promotion. But one thing is for certain, too much of something is just not good. Let me explain.

Just take for a moment one casual look at the messages pouring into your Twitter view. What do you see? Do you not see people almost seemingly "speaking to oneself"? The context of the message is directed towards a whole, as if one is delivering a speech before an audience.

Its a weird, strange dialogue almost like shouting into the void and not expecting anything in return. It takes some getting used to at first but for myself, its way different than the years I spent on IRC chat channels talking to fellow daytraders and software programmers - at least there was healthy back and forth discussion. With Twitter, you're lucky if you get any discussions.

I realize that this is what Alexander Graham Bell may have felt like when he invented the telephone. That is, a feeling of overwhelming power being able to communicate to whoever is there to listen. The funny part about Twitter is that I see so many Alexander Graham Bells screaming into the void. Its as if they are crying for attention.

Its silly in a sense. It feels like like a spider trying to catch a fly in its web. "Listen to me! Listen to what I have to say! Don't judge me! Just listen and follow! I am Jesus!"

Most messages are mindless dribble, if not a potential for adult attention deficiency syndrome. I mean, if you are a stock trader and are accustomed to seeing flashing red and green text streaming on your quote page, you'll know how addictive it can be. Twitter is even a worse form of this because its offers such high signal to noise ratio of utter crap. The scary part is, its catching on.

The problem with this type of communication is that it conditions the mind into being an observer and not a doer. Sort of like the story of the psychologist that rings the bell as the dog salivates on queue. Twitter is sort of like the 21st century gong that is a weak form of making people salivate.

It so reminds me of the push technology of old where stuff is being streamed and one sits there in taking it all in. Only, its simple 140 character text and stupid messages about mostly nonsense. Don't get me wrong, there are a few people that use it highly effectively and offer very unique and useful content. But for the most part, its meaningless chitter chatter, small talk if you will.

It makes me wonder if this is "it" for human evolution, that we hit the wall on how we think, communicate, and solve problems. See, Twitter is very much a unidirectional communication tool and not so much a two sided conversation tool. It is effectively a "shout out" to the void into the eyes of whoever is "listening". It is real time, immediate, and if you are not there to receive it, you'll miss the message.

But unlike IRC chat in a categorical channel, it is unmoderated and people driven according to whatever the person wants to say. There's no organization to the message, just a "blah blah blah" message that can be very delayed, if even responded to at all. For the past two months since I've used it, I've noticed a large lack of two way communication. This to me, is Twitter's demise in the long run as its like a one way email message with no conscious reply in return.

Twitter is very much so a tool for popular people like celebrities and well known figures to get a mass following. A-list bloggers use it skillfully as a marketing device. So do corporations who have found this new "tool" to reach people willing to listen.

Other than that, its an attention whore device that will likely have fallout for those who use and abuse it too much. I can definitely see people so dependent on this form of communication that when they don't get the attention they seek, they will grow resentful, severely burned out and create withdrawal symptoms from lack of attention. Its liken to a baby needing to hear its mother's voice constantly to insure that it is loved and noticed.

Like most things in life, if you overdo it, it becomes a bad habit like smoking cigarettes. Its hard to back away from and becomes second nature, if not routine. The detrimental long lasting effects we are creating using tools like Twitter may very well be damaging in the long run.

Twitter, but just be conscious that this can screw with your mind turning it into mush if you over do it. Select the people you wish to follow carefully and by all means limit the time you use it. And for the most part, realize that people have their own agendas and want you to listen for a reason.

About Kerry Kobashi

Kerry is the founder of KerryOnWorld. He lives in Silicon Valley and has worked as an engineer and project manager. He owns Kobashi Computing a consulting company.