"Who are they talking to?" A little birdie answered, "No one and everyone."
The usual Twitter user tweets to point out something they may think is relevant. Usually, it's something that breaks up their daily routine in some way or another, even if it seems mundane to everyone who may be reading it. When one tweets, they are tweeting for themselves. At the same time, the user hopes that their followers can look at the tweet and go, "Huh. Cool," or maybe even reply to it. Thus, when one tweets, they are subconsciously looking for acknowledgment by their followers.
When I write online, I write rather informally; I'm lazy when it comes to capitalization and writing out whole words (ie: I don't know = iunno). Writing online is usually a more personal experience for me, considering that most writing I do online is in blog form. I blog to help myself, not to appeal to anyone else and, therefore, I do not care for the opinions of others. This differs from when I write something on paper, such as a formal essay or a letter to someone I care deeply about, because I then write to prove a point and search for acceptance. On twitter, I tweet quotes that mean something to me or random tidbits of my every day life. These tidbits, I've come to notice, are often complaints and have been so since I made my account in high school. Whether it's moaning about homework or vaguely hinting towards my disgust in an individual, I use it as a way of releasing pent-up frustration.
I think Twitter, as mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, is an effective form of blogging depending on how it is used. Very powerful things can be said in a few words, such as the cliche "I love you." Sure, lots of useless stuff is also mentioned, but sometimes you can find a real gem in the middle of the grime. Microblogging allows one to experiment in finding the right words to summarize what they want to say in a limited space. The fewer words you use in your argument, the more strength each word carries.
Thank you for this thoughtful, intelligent post. I like that you defend Twitter in this post- because I also agree that powerful thoughts can come in small packages. Do you think that more people use Twitter to say profound things or to complain like you (and I) do? I ask this you defend Twitter by saying that powerful things can be said in few words, but I wonder whether that's what most people really use it for.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Toni. I believe that blogging and any form of online writing is a very personal thing and should be treated as such. We should not get judged for how we write online, because it is a completely different world from writing an essay. Your post made complete sense to me, and I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty deep for a Tuesday evening. I like the self-awareness in this. You admit that you use Twitter to relieve frustration. I think there is more there than a sentence, especially as it relates to the question of audience. The writer-reader relationship that blogging has introduced has changed the way we express ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compelling blog post. Hey. I enjoyed reading that you tweet to personally help yourself. I wrote about that in my post as well. Check it out: http://andrewswritingpage.blogspot.com/2011/12/6-of-12-social-media-may-just-be-our.html I was wondering if you could continue expand your thoughts on the difference between paper and Twitter because this is definitely an interesting notion. Do you feel like you need to publicly tweet if the writing is just for yourself? Could you just have a private online blog or would that be no fun?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the dual nature of Twitter that you point out in your post. While users tweet mostly for themselves, at the same time we are hoping someone out there (i.e.: our followers) will read what we post and maybe start an interaction with us. I understand that blogging is a personal experience, but I also believe that we are looking for some kind of acknowledgement or approval from the people who follow us. After all, if we didn't, wouldn't we be writing on a journal instead of on an online platform? While I do agree that microblogging makes us exercise our ability to summarize, I completely disagree with your last sentence. I don't think you can measure the strength of an argument on the number of words you use, whether it's on an electronic or a printed media.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the intelligent, thoughtful post. Hey, have you thought about the fact that twitter is used as a complaining ground and perhaps some people don't like it because of that? Despite me asking this, I do think your self-reflection was a great tool to progress your argument. Keep in mind that other people may disagree with you, but that doesn't make them or you wrong. Twitter's usefulness is up to interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that insightful post! But HEY! Have you thought about the sheer public and global audience you have when writing online. Sure it's great that you write for yourself, but why post your deeply personal thoughts in such a public space? Why not keep a diary or a journal? Even if that is in a computer - just not online. I also found it ironic that you end with the thought that short, concise arguments can be more powerful, yet you respond to this post to expansively. Perhaps you should try to condense this post slightly. As a whole, I enjoyed your words - you made me think about the potential benefits of blogging and twitter. But I'm still not so sure I agree.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about what the reason behind tweeting is for large companies or groups is? The reason I ask this is because maybe they aren't just writing to point out something they think is relevant, maybe it's more than that. The reason I ask this is because I think it's important to try and acknowledge more than just one type of person or group tweeting. You might want to take a look at twitters of ABC or another large group like that to compare with a regular person. Also, in your writing I think you could be a little more descriptive to help the reader visualize what you're thinking more. What I really admire about your writing here is that you are write knowing what you're talking about. Being confident in your writing helps the reader trust what you're saying and follow along.
ReplyDeleteI think this was really well written. I really liked how you compared your uses of Twitter and blogging and the way you write in these spaces to the way you write in a more formal space such as an essay. I like tweeting also, and really agree with what you wrote in the first paragraph about wanting one of your followers to acknowledge your tweets. I liked how you mentioned that very powerful things can be said in few words and the fewer words means each word is more powerful. I really liked this post.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really well written blog post. Your writing allows me to see twitter from the viewpoint of the writer of the tweet. I still believe that there are better ways of getting out pent-up frustration, but that is entirely a matter of opinion. Twitter is just a forum that I could never comfortably float around with. Are there any acknowledged drawbacks to Twitter that you, as a Twitter fan, can acknowledge? I feel like that would add more balance to your piece here.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful post. I agree with you that twitter can be an effective form of blogging, depending on how it is used. Have you ever thought about what the original reason why the creators of Twitter made the website? I'm asking this because in your first paragraph, you talk about how tweeters look for acknowledgement from your followers. However, in your second paragraph you talk about yourself tweeting. I tweet very similarly as you do--usually complaining about things or just tweeting lyrics or quotes that I like. I don't really look for acknowledgement from others. What do you think twitter was originally created for?
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to think about here. you show a variety of different things that twitter can do. I'm just curious as to what you think it is MOST for. you say one tweets for themselves and others. which is the tweeting more for? also the idea that there is a lot of useless info. is the small gems truly worth wading through all of the information?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful post. This is an interesting view on Twitter that I have not thought about before. I usually write about Twitter through my point of view as a reader. I do not have a Twitter but I have been on my friends' multiple times, and usually I find it annoying. But as you say, your Twitter is for you not me. I don't feel the urge to get a Twitter and post things about my day. However I have a new found respect for Twitter and will not bash it as much in the future. Thank you for your enlightening post.
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