Truly Contagious Tweeting of Twitter

I recently signed up for a Twitter account. At first it was simply a tool I was required to use for research at my internship, but then I became addicted to its simple, 140-character, single-sentence updates. It quickly became a source of entertainment, followed by a source for news, followed by source for...well, just about everything.

It seems to me that as we continue to develop our technology into better, faster, and more efficient mediums, the information we seek at our fingertips becomes more and more concise. We no longer require lengthy news stories or sixty-minute interviews. All we need is 140 characters or less to tell us what is going on with who, where, how, when that fascinating one-sentence event happened, and why it so important that I log on to view it, via this thing we call a "tweet." Since when did life become so simple that we are satisfied with a question in 140 characters...or less?

I started to realize the importance of this phenomenon when I recently saw a news article reporting on George Stephanopoulos' "twitterview" with Senator John McCain. An interview completed conducted in, you guessed it, 140 characters or less via the internet. Single sentence questions followed by single sentence answers. To the point. Concise. Beautiful.

A few weeks prior I discovered the popularity of "tweeting" when I found out such things called "tweet-ups" existed. We are not tempted to meet up with those on our LinkedIn network, even if we don't know them. I'm not even tempted to meet up with those I have on my Facebook account, whether I know them personally or not. I have generally found the idea of meeting up with a complete and total stranger...well, strange. Yet, the idea of meeting those in person whom I "follow" via my twitter account is engaging. Why? What is it about this status-update tool that effectively breaks these social rules we once held about, "do not talk to strangers?" Instead, we want to talk to them. In fact, the more "tweets" that follow mine, the merrier!

I don't have an answer to this question yet, but I think it is an important one to ask. Is this thing we call "tweeting" indiciative of the direction communication seems to be going? It is curious to me how this fun, little tool has begun to change the way we communicate, nearly overnight.

I have come to realize that it is not so much the concise material these "tweets" are made up of that is so engaging, but rather the timing. Twittering is instant. You can upload your responses, get replies, or post from wherever you are in seconds. As a result, this instant gratification has become the new normal for society. And, communication, is moving more quickly than ever before. It begs the question what will follow Twitter. What will the next phenomenon in communication be?

Interesting. For now, I'm content with my "tweets." I know I can follow that.