As children of the Internet, our generation has taken advantage of platforms like AIM, facebook, and Skype to bridge geographical gaps. We're luckier than people used to be - homesickness can be cured with just a phone call, text, or instant message. Now, the cyber-verse has expanded with another social medium called
Twitter, which gives us an additional method to keep updated with friends but it also offers an endless forum of learning and information exchange.
I liken Twitter to Facebook's status feature - except on full blast, and added steroidal enhancement. The original premise of Twitter was to answer the question "What are you doing?" but it has since broadened into a blank canvas for whatever you want to post. Individual twitter comments, aka tweets, range from the trivial ("I want girl scout cookies") to informative ("Plane lands miraculosuly on the Hudson!"). People share the minute details of their day as well as finds they come across while browsing the Internet. Personally, I love clicking on stories that my friends share, they find what's happening and relevant and bring it to me!
Beyond a social tool, Twitter can also expand your professional horizons. It lets you follow people in fields that you're interested in - in particular, journalism and media are industries where a huge number of people are Twitter users, but I'm seeing this spread to sports, fashion, entertainment, and business. In fact, my latest obsession,
Hayden-Harnett, has held recent sales exclusive to Twitter members! It's a smart marketing move - Twitter reaches a huge audience through networks, reTweets, and @replies.
If asymmetrical/lack of information leads to disadvantage and inequality, then Twitter is the answer that can level the playing field. Now we have the latest updates at our fingertips, literally - not just about friends, but any topic that we find interesting. We're ready to keep up with the techy/social media version of the Jones'.
