A Few Chirps and a Tweet

If the advent of the Internet can be compared to the A-Bomb, with what do we compare Web 2.0 applications like Twitter?

Since joining the Twitter network last year I have to pause now and then to take a reading. What is really going on here?

Many people are fascinated with trying to make comprehensible things that are incomprehensible. This obsessive curiosity is the driver behind archeologists seeking to comprehend forgotten cultures, efforts to understand hieroglyphics, magic, mysteries of nature, astronomical wonders, UFOs, psychological phenomena and the abundant natural wonders of our world.

Social media is likewise a somewhat foreign culture, and many people participate in it simply out of a natural curiosity. What is happening here?

It recently struck me that many Facebookers and Tweeters are a little like folks who bought a citizen band radio as part of the CB Radio craze in the 70’s, popularize in part by films like Convoy and Smoky and the Bandit. The pop media puts these things on the map and everyone wants to see what the buzz is all about.

The reality is, Twitter can be a powerful tool, especially for writers, journalists and information driven occupations. But the 140 character box with the question, “What are you doing?” makes it seem more like a toy than a tool.

I am reminded of my first 512Ke Mac. The mouse was a novelty, the box seemed like cheap plastic. Yet it was an incredibly powerful tool, even before it had a hard drive. So, at first blush you may not think much of the Twitter scene, but it has its place, just as CB Radios have had theirs. Truckers continued to use them for decades after the public craze subsided, though new technologies like cell phones have diminished their use somewhat.

In short, Twitter will probably continue long after the buzz subsides... if, or when... or whatever. In case you missed it, here's a pretty cool ABC News story which aired last month.

Tweet.