Twitterers Tweet Back at AlterNet

By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet. Posted February 24, 2009.

Finally, if you don't like someone's idiotic tweets, WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING THEM?

Andrianmarketing also points out that Twitter is what you make of it:

In all the screaming about who's right and who's wrong I absolutely think that a point has been missed. Yes there are a lot of people who post nothing but mindless drivel, however, Twitter is like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. I myself have learned a great deal from intelligent people who provide summaries and links to articles that they value and feel that I should value too. If I don't like what they have to say I don't have to read it. But I find at least 5 extremely well written articles every day on topics like politics, science and business. People are sharing their knowledge freely on Twitter with anyone that wants to learn.

Search your favorite topic on Twitter and if you can't find at least 100 people talking about it and linking to more information about it then you can complain, but if you don't use it don't bash it as it has absolutely nothing to do with you. People who bemoan the lack of substance in the world, look at your TV, I've seen more substance linked to on Twitter than in every major Emmy winning Situation Comedy in the last 5 years.

Jgrossnas states that despite initial reservations about Twitter, they found a useful, productive way to use the site:

I can sympathize. I thought Twitter was a silly waste at first too but if you follow good, smart people there, you can get a lot out of it. I've gotten a lot of news scoops there way before I've heard the info from anywhere else.

Twitter is an evolutionary step in social networking. It might be history in a couple years, but it is taking us somewhere on the path of global interconnectedness.

cyr3n also testifies to the site's usefulness:

I use Twitter as a quick way to scan news blogs and post important news (ie: mmorpg events, contests, in-person gatherings). No problems here. Twitter is a very useful tool and shouldn't be overlooked by anyone trying to leverage the social networking phenomenon.

But other readers disagree. Phatkhat argues that Twitter meets and encourages our childish need for connection and attention:

Having come from a time when people still had rotary dial telephones, and there were only 3 channels on TV, I have to marvel at today's technology. I love it, and I use it joyfully.

But it strikes me that this incessant "staying in touch" at all times is both "needy" and childishly insecure. Do we really have to be "connected" to others all the time? What about time for introspection? For enjoying nature? For savoring a good book on a cold rainy night?

Sushi argues that Twitter is an appropriate medium for our dumbed-down culture:

Considering how education has devolved into 'McLearning', this very well could be the new ADD communication system.

"I think not, said Descartes, and promptly disappeared. "

But Smackback pithily points to one of Twitter's greatest advantages: its populist potentional: "Twittering = the new "chattering classes". You won't find the Bilderburgs or the Rothschilds on Twitter. :-D"

If you're not a Rothschild or member of the Bilderberg group, check out AlterNet's Twitter feed. 

See more stories tagged with: culture, internet, twitter, social media

Tana Ganeva is an assistant editor at AlterNet.

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