Time Magazine and the NY Times produced two equally insightful articles on the newest social media trend Twitter. Steven Johnson for Time writes, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live“. Written in 2009, when Twitter was still sort of brand new and “not really out there” Johnson basically discusses all of the benefits of Twitter along with an explanation on how to use it. Well, Johnson was correct when he wrote this article almost three years ago. Here in 2012, Twitter has changed the way we live. Well it has changed the way we #TwitterAddicts live. For us #TwitterAddicts out there in the “Twitterverse” we need to constantly update everyone on our lives, achievements, favorite quotes, articles, fortunes, and misfortunes. Why? Well, not only because of the fact that everyone else is doing it but because it gives us some assurance. It gives everyone a quick glance into our life. Every time something exciting happens we want the whole world to know. Aced an exam? — tweet about it. New car? — tweet about it. Or if your like me and tweet about your every day actions and associating them with a hashtag you’ll stumble upon something like this on your Twitter time line,
“Having three computer screens on my work desk is not enough
#firstworldpains“
In Peggy Orenstein’s, “I Tweet, Therefore I Am“, she writes,
“Each Twitter post seemed a tacit referendum on who I am, or at least who I believe myself to be.”
“On Twitter or Facebook you’re trying to express something real about who you are”
For some of us, this means displaying the true side of you in under 140 characters or less. Not only do we want the rest of the Twitterverse to get a glimpse into our lives but sometimes we want to show how exciting or boring our lives are. And as for companies, Twitter allows them to appeal to society as a “person” and not just a brand.
The Twitterverse is an exciting place that can be absolutely swell and at times be quite awkward especially when someone you follow reveals an unnecessary amount of information on their life. People need to be updated and informed, Twitter fulfills this desire and the #TwitterAddicts just keep tweeting.
Image Credit: Paddy
