The year 2009 doesn’t seem like it was so long ago, but in terms of how Twitter has become increasingly integrated in our lives, it might as well have been 20 years ago. As the article, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live” pointed out, the creators didn’t even know what capabilities this application could have. This article was written back in 2009 when smartphones were just starting to become more popular with those who didn’t work in an office.
Twitter has allowed accessibility, plain and simple. Yes, you can use it to update your followers what you’ve had for breakfast (I highly discourage this practice unless you have over 100,000 followers, but that’s your call), or you can use it to build your own brand. Companies do it. Celebrities do it. Politicians do it. And you should do it.
As the Orenstein article pointed out, Twitter is a great way for people to build their own brand. You can show that you are interested in West Virginia sports, health care public policy, or even polka dotted socks if you want. It’s all about finding people with similar interests without divulging too much information about yourself personally.
Yes, you will sound really stupid trying to explain “The Twitter”, an online application that allows you to post 140 character messages to people who “follow” you, to your grandparents. What the heck? It might have been intended to send a message out to 50 friends, but what it has evolved into is what really defines it. Like the Twomy article pointed out, it’s not that you created a toaster oven – it’s what you’ve managed to do with that toaster oven.
Twitter is also a great way for people to bypass the media to get the word out. Whether in an uprising or in a media blackout, Twitter has shown that it has the ability to turn everyday people into reporters. This summer when the NYC police decided to break up Zucatti Park, they decided to establish a media blackout. The first reports were not on CNN, MSNBC or FOX news, but they were on Twitter. Eyewitnesses were there live-blogging the entire incident. If it weren’t for Twitter there might not have been any news coverage of the event.
Twitter has changed the way we live for sure. We live our lives in a technology filled world that is constantly updating. Instead of scoffing at the idea of Twitter, it’s important that we all embrace it as a way to put ourselves out there. We can get news out to a large amount of people, create an image for ourselves and become more accessible to those who are looking to interact with us.
