The problem with technology is that once something has been deemed "hot," it's most likely not (anymore). Could that be happening to Twitter?
Only 22 percent of 18 to 24 year olds have a Twitter account, compared with 99 percent of that same age group who have a social networking site like Facebook or MySpace, according to a study conducted by Participatory Marketing Network, a marketing firm that focuses on how the Internet influences consumer behavior, and Pace University. The study's researchers, not surprising, view the low-participation rate for these young, soon-to-be and just-beginning-to-be workers as a "glass-half-full" opportunity. "There is a tremendous opportunity now for marketers to develop strategies to get this important group active on Twitter too," says Michael Della Penna, co-founder and executive chairman of PMN.
Doesn't this strike you as odd? Doesn't Twitter seem like it was created for the young? Twitter is the sister of texting, and anyone who has a teenager or college-age daughter or son knows texting is about as popular as it gets.
Could it be that only 1 out of 5 18 to 24 year olds Twitter because only 1 out of 5 18 to 24 year olds value it? They clearly value other social networking sites. Are we seeing the beginning of a trend here? As these late teens and early 20-somethings grow older and begin to affect the workplace more, they will bring with them their Twitter disdain. And what does that mean for federal agencies, which are creating Twitter feeds as fast as they can?
COMMENTS
The value of Twitter to the individual depends on your purpose for suing Twitter and the quality of those you follow (and who follow you). I'm able to keep abreast of news and information from more resources than I could on my own by using Twitter. The users I follow provide me with links to information that's important to me and they save me the time of searching for it on my own. If all you're going to do is follow Ashton Kutcher and Miley Cyrus, then you probably will only get what one poster termed as "noise."
Randy 06/04/09 01:29 pm ET
Twitter.com alone will not succeed, but the Twitter framework will. Facebook has capitalized on this with there main homepage that has a Twitter-like interface for getting updates out to the masses. While one could say Twitter is the sister of texting, I wouldn't compare them. Again, it is how the message is delivered not what the message is.
Alec Minor 06/03/09 03:30 pm ET
The capacity to communicate has clearly outdistanced the ability to think worthwhile thoughts. Thus, Twitter is devoid of meaningful content and constitutes noise. Do I want to plug into noise? I don't think so. Bye-bye Twitter.
Dick 06/03/09 12:26 pm ET
If you need to know where you were or what you were doing on Feb 8, 2009 at 2:12pm, then you need Twitter. Otherwise, it's a waste of time unless all you have is time on your hands. Personally, I don't see the value of twitter. In this day & age of technology, we are already tracked everywhere we go with our cell phone pings, car gps's, etc. You can't go to the grocery store without someone calling wanting to know where you are. Why in the world would I ever want my hour by the hour also tracked? My daily life still have some peace and privacy.
Terri 06/03/09 11:19 am ET
Twitter has the same appeal as texting, but cellphones are more convenient than laptops. I suspect that texting will win out over Twitter in the end.
Jerry 06/03/09 09:48 am ET
Catering to such heavy weights in the area of personal credibility as Aston Kutcher, Brittany Spears, and Nancy Polosi, it was only a matter of time before even the millennials started to scoff at this pitiably self indulgent effort at social media. Of course government agencies with no real sense of history or mission will now queue up to be a part of it.
Paul D. 06/03/09 07:52 am ET
Texting is between two specific individuals who already know each other. Tweeting is announcing to outsiders your thoughts. The other social networking allows texting, and photos - maybe twitter could be a draw into the heftier networking of the other sites. Of course, the very fact adults find twitter popular might make the concept, by definition, uncool to the younger crowd.
Bill Bennett 06/03/09 06:51 am ET