Twouble with Twitter (6 of 12)

This post is a response to this parody of twitter, found on youtube:



Respond to the character's question as he enters the twittersphere:  "Who are they talking to?"  Do you wonder who your audience is when you post on twitter?  Do you feel differently about your audience in online writing environments?  Is your relationship to your online audience distinct?  Who do you imagine is reading your tweets, for example?


This animation clearly doubts the viability of twitter as a valuable tool?  What do you think?   What is the purpose of microblogging?

I agree with the view this video presents- people are talking to everyone and no one at once. Actually, I don’t even think it’s talking. Reading someone’s twitter posts is like taking a cross section of their mind- every passing thought as they go through life. I’m not even sure if stream-of-consciousness thought can be directed at anyone specifically…I mean, who do you direct your thoughts to?

I don’t really use twitter…I have one, but discovered quickly that it’s a social media that people expect you to use EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY or not at all. I think it would depend on the reason why someone starts a twitter as to whether or not they think about their audience. Some people start twitters for an organization or a youth group as a way to update others on events and happenings that those groups host or participate in.

I think the relationship between an online audience and the tweeter can be distinct. For example, two classmates might follow each other on twitter, but may not speak at school. Twitter also allows the safety from immediate, direct (and physical) consequence upon putting a thought out in the twitter universe than saying it to someone’s face. This allows for the creation of a persona (or multiple)- different voices, perhaps. Some people have a persona at school, and express their ‘true’ voice via twitter, or vice versa.

I think this video underestimates the power and influence twitter can give/have on someone- whether it’s over their own life or someone else’s. While some random thoughts in one person’s head are in response or reaction to some situation or person, all the tweeter’s audience receives is that thought- not the context in which it came. I think that is a possible unforeseen danger in twitter. On the flipside, twitter can also be used as a means to gather or rally people on a particular topic. It allows for live updates from awards shows, or it can provide live questions from an audience around the world to people interviewed on TV. I think the video doubts the viability of twitter as a valuable tool for everyone- I do believe twitter is a very important tool of the media, but that might not be such a good thing…