I understand that Twitter may seem scary with all that trending, following, mentioning, hash-tagging, tweeting, and re-tweeting, but remember the days when sending a friend request seemed intimidating? Basically, Twitter is a social media outlet that, like Facebook, is contributing to great communication changes. If your not on Twitter yet, you really should be.
Twitter was launched to the public in 2006 and became its own company in 2007. In the past four years, Twitter’s popularity has grown exponentially. Beginning in June 2010, 65 million tweets have been posted on a daily basis. According to the website, this is 750 Tweets every second of every day. The name Twitter comes from the Webster definition of the word, which is, “To utter successive chirping noises” and “to talk in a chattering fashion.” This is the goal of the social media site, to communicate in short spurts to a group of interests and people customized by the user.
Its clear Twitter is successful, but why should you be part of it? Here are my three reasons:
(1) It is simpler than Facebook: Yes Twitter is full of lingo that is learned through experience, but Twitter is like updating your status without any additional comments. Also there are no albums to stock, or any information over share (unless you want). It is a way to simply express what you’re thinking about.
(2) It allows for customizable interests and the ability to follow trends: You can follow a wide variety of celebrities, companies, news and other interests on Twitter (My personal favorites include NASA, New York Times, and Sorority Girl Problems). Often tweets will redirect you to other articles and videos. You can also follow trends on Twitter, a way to feel connected to all other followers.
(3) It’s Fun! Tweeting a friend becomes the new texting, especially since Twitter is a stable on smart phones. Additionally, it becomes another source of entertainment for bus rides or line waits.
Moral of the story is this: Twitter is part of the social media trend affecting our generation. So get on board.