Politech: What Twitter Hath Wrought and Hath Not
Wesley Vaughn
Started in 2006 by Jack Dorsey and Noah Glass, the site with an unusual name and vocabulary attracted an estimated 4-5 million users by November of 2008 and continues to grow at a rapid pace. A limit of 140 characters to answer "what are you doing?" and the ability to subscribe and reply to other users' tweets form an "instant messenger blogger network."
Fueled by the masses and highlighted by the well-known, two tiers of users have taken shape, each with their own characteristics. The disproportionate coverage and knowledge of these different groups within Twitter lead to the uneducated opinions on what the site is and what it can become.
Popular celebrities, athletes, web sites, and organizations are a small minority on the site, but they comprise the top tier and distinguish Twitter from other networking sites. Purposefully or not, their user pages serve as a simple public relations campaign that makes the individual or company more accessible. The narration of their day's events, promotion of their work through relevant links, and brief musings connect them with supporters. Newt Gingrich manages his Twitter well in this sense.
For politicians, this replaces the hassle of garnering up an email list and clogging inboxes. Twitter only reaches the interested citizen with a brief, down-to-earth statement. Sites such as Tweet Congress even organize which Congressional members are tweeting, what they are tweeting about, and promote the use of Twitter in Congress for further transparency in government.
Some tech-savvy politicians have taken this technology even further. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced he will be running for governor of California over Twitter. Ignoring the hilarity that is the governorship of California, it provides a nice case study for declaring or promoting an event on the site. Newsom already has over 453 thousand followers and used his announcement to link to his new website.
Twitter's search function facilitates additional promotion by allowing users to find potentially interested followers through scavenging the site for desired terms mentioned in tweets. For example, U.N. Me publicizes its documentary by pursuing politically minded users or anyone who mentions the United Nations in a message.
The second tier of Twitter, which includes the majority of the users, does not pose as much of a revolution as the first. Individuals in this tier use their Twitter page to promote a cause or business, connect with friends and update followers with Facebook style updates, follow their favorite personalities, or mix all three activities. Posting meaningful and creative content doesn't guarantee a swarm of useful new connections, however, leading to a low retention rate as users debate the value Twitter is adding to social network.
A major problem with Twitter stems from the limits of text messaging. It can be difficult to present a well structured opinion in only 140 characters, as seen in John McCain's recent "twitterview." That is why I call it an "instant messenger blogger network." It sends short messages to a direct audience over the Internet. The site forces users to trim statements that wind up as a generic sentence, sometimes with a link, and end with tacky hash tags.
One of the major innovations of the site is that the reply and direct messaging features bridge the gap between the two Twitter users, enabling communication between the followed and the followers. Not only will Shaq respond to a shout-out, but even The White House has joined in on the fun and now answers comments via their website.
Twitter represents the development of social media and its seemingly infinite number of uses. I do not see it as a simple phase, though the site may change over time or another service might take its place. Often viewed as a grassroots site, its best contribution to society is that of connecting the well-known to the masses, however trivial each tweet may be.