After watching Cnet's Loaded today (http://cnettv.cnet.com/loaded-yahoo-phone-home/9742-1_53-50074633.html) Natalie reported on something that I have been seeing among my students about Twitter and/or social networking. As Loaded reported, I do see Twitter more prevalent among users between the ages of say 27-40. On Loaded, Natalie was reporting from user submissions from the "next generation" on whether or not they are going to be as hot with Twitter as the current gen. One writer (of I believe age 17 or so) wrote:
"It is a social network for old people"
Facebook, even with its several revisions and annoying applications, still is dominating the social-communication-connection need for users. Largely because of its ease of access to friends and family; pictures, notes, messages, videos, etc. Whereas Twitter, is exclusively a portal for communication (with perhaps links to pics and videos) within 140 characters. I think that with the boom in popularity, Twitter has lost what it began to do.
The good out of Twitter I have to admit, is its attempt to get everyone into discourse. However, I myself Tweet less now because my Twitter followers are not really anyone who is in or around my life. I see this as a good and bad thing. Twitter still provides simple short mass communication, however with its non-grouped or non-networked approach the usefulness of Twitter depreciates. Even this Twitter-aholic has been kicking his habit as I find that using my blog is much more useful. More so now as I have switched over to Wordpress and use the P2 Theme interface which borrows the original concept of Twitter's interface (minus the 140 character mandate). This blog interface provides me with what my net-communications style is: fast, light, and easy navigation to my web content. Twitter, at the beginning started to do that for me as well as bring more traffic (marketing) to my Tales From the Grad School blog. But now, it seems like Twitter is a cliché and cheep trick that everyone is using, and thus even the marking idea is less valuable. Everyone from Ashten Kucher to CNN is Twitter-pated, and somewhat spoil my appeal for Twitter.
Coming back to Twitter: young vs old, I think this is about accurate. It will be interesting to see what studies will show out of this combat ground over net-communication dominance. For the older user demographic, having an all encompassing narcism network like Facebook or Myspace isn't really what this user demographic digs. Which is perhaps why Twitter is more appealing. Whereas a more youthful, tech savvy and open user, digs knowing and promoting everyone that is them. I fall somewhere in-between...the gray area of wanting to know what others are doing and putting out content that friends, family, or maybe a colleague or two would dig. I am still hoping for an OpenId approach to the web. Where everyone has one user name or ID that gets them anywhere they need. Thus eliminating the segregation of social networks. Rather, you bring your grouped networks with you. And have the power to control what everyone or anyone can or can not see online.
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