College Times

Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Blogs

Media Credit: Photos.com

I'm just going to come out and say it: I hate Twitter. Now, before you get to calling me out over the fact that I have Twitter account, hear me out: The only, ONLY reason I have an account is to keep up with one of my current teachers, who, instead of sending out an e-mail to cancel class like normal teachers do, he Tweets about it.

Twitter is a glorified version of Facebook's status updates. And, the thing I like about Facebook is, it's sort of like an online portfolio, where I can add clips, resumes, past job experience and community activity, without being limited by 140 characters.

And that's another thing, what's up with the 140 characters, Twitter? I know it's supposed to force you to concentrate, both you're your message and your mind, but all I can think it would force people to do is to have another thing to worry about, and that's the last thing we need more of.

I also don't really understand the whole security mechanisms of Twitter. Some people have their Tweets blocked, so that only if you are recruited to follow them can you read them. What's got to be soooo important within a Tweet, that you wouldn't want the world reading it? Are you sharing the location of the Fountain of Youth? Or where to get cheap pot?

To me, Twitter is almost as bad as having an online platform where people can exchange pictures of their daily bowel movements with each other. Seriously.

What I also don't like about Twitter is the illusion of individuality, when really it's all about conformity. The same default picture appears until you choose one of yourself and the same background appears until you pick out a photo that might look good.

Yeah, sure, Twitter has created a new noun/verb (Tweet) and allows for people to get information about others immediately, but I'm not sure that is such a good thing.

Twitter markets itself as a way for people to stay connected while answering the simple question: What are you doing? I just think that is so uninteresting and rather boring.

I think it would be cooler if the question was: What's your goal for this year? Or: What's your vision for the future? Or even: What did you have for breakfast today? It would be even cooler if the character limit was the same, because then people would be challenged to fit all that information into that small of a space.

I'm all about progressing and evolving, but when did it become a thing of the past to pick up the phone and actually call someone rather than Tweet them.

Twitter is fine and everything as a supplement for information, but when it's the only source being relied upon, that's when things start to scare me.

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