Is Twitter Worth the Time?

I hear it all the time. "You've got to be on Twitter." Well, I am on Twitter, and I don't see the big deal. Trust me, I've tried to find something redeeming in that platform, but I can't. Then, I happened across this infographic which tells the real story of Twitter:



Basically, Twitter is a platform for celebrities and important people to keep in touch with followers. Otherwise, it is a waste. It isn't social the way Facebook is. The only real advantage of Twitter is that it allows you to have more than 5000 followers. This is ideal for people in the public eye like Lance Armstrong. But for the rest of us, it really makes no sense.

I asked the question on Facebook about whether Twitter was worth the time. The response was an overwhelming NO. Most people on the internet just find no value in Twitter. Twitter has 106 million users while Facebook has 500 million. People will say that this is an apples vs. oranges comparison, but you can keep people notified just as easily on Facebook.

I break it down like this. There are two things you can do with Twitter. You can broadcast, and you can receive. As a broadcast medium, Twitter absolutely sucks. Unless you are some kind of famous person, it just isn't worth it. It is on the reception end that Twitter rocks.

If you are someone who uses Twitter simply as a tool for listening to others, it is superb. This is Twitter's "secret." Because the tweets are short, timely, and from people who matter and know what the fuck is going on, the platform is very good at giving you immediate news. But how many people need this sort of thing?

Twitter appeals to the young and to those with extremely short attention spans. For the rest of us, it makes a quick news aggregator especially if you are using a smartphone. I have a dumbphone, so I don't use Twitter on the go.

My advice is to use Twitter in the same way you would use Google News or a feed reader. Just read and forget tweeting. For the most part, Twitter is dead.

Posted in: