In case you haven’t noticed, there are now 2 Twitters.
The first Twitter operates just as its founders intended. Its a great broadcast medium for quickly distributing quick hits of information and/or links. Its a great source of real-time information that travels with you on any device. Its the ultimate enabler of “if information is important to me, it will find me”. On all levels, this version of Twitter is succeeding for its users.
The second Twitter is not so pleasant. This version of Twitter is the home for hate and ridicule. It’s where everyone and anyone can quickly create an account and spew whatever venom they choose directly at the target of their derision. Lisa Rinna recently got into it with a follower who criticized her appearance. My timeline is filled with people with 1 or 2 followers who apparently set up an account purely to curse or condemn me and others. It takes the fun and return out of Twitter when you look at the tweets people send you and its full of people hoping you are in a car accident, get knifed or just plain cursing you.
Every medium has its problems. Every medium also has a hassle vs return equation as well. If the hate numbers continue to increase for twitter, so will the hassle and the likelihood that those who invest time towards using Twitter as it should be used will choose to stop using it.
The anonymity of Twitter has value, but like Myspace in the early days, what worked for it in the short term, could work against it in the long term. If Twitter doesn’t come up with a solution for the quantity of hate being published, the door will be open for others to pre – empt and replace it.
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