Twitter: The “Quick and Dirty” Social Media

I’m constantly being asked if I “tweet”, what I “tweet” about, how often, and so forth. What I think a lot of people are secretly wondering is, “What exactly is the point of Twitter?”

According to Twitter, the “point” is whatever you want to make it.  It’s advertising, it’s information, it’s communication.  It’s 140 characters to let out whatever your little heart desires.

So we’ve answered the “what.”  A better question might be, “Why?”  And honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out. For companies, Twitter is a great platform to quickly and effectively communicate with, well, the whole world.   Through Twitter, businesses post promotions, contests, advertisements, and other tactics to build awareness and reach out to customers.  Twitter is even aiding corporate public relations, as Toyota has recently shown.

Similarly, celebrities and public figures are turning to Twitter to communicate with fans. Tweets with “sneak peaks” into their real lives create a more personal relationship and improve public appeal.   Just look at Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Swift, and even John Mayer–all whose tweets have made news headlines and who boast a collective “follower” base of over 9 million users.

But celebrities and companies aside, why would the average Joe care about posting his 140-character opinions?  And why should he care about what average Jane thinks?

I think this question is behind the recent push of college students to join Twitter.  While the average Joe and Jane, 40-something, suburban “mom and dad”-types may not care what the millions of Twitter users are saying, the average college student does. Why? Because college students are opinionated, self-confident, tech savvy individuals who want everyone to hear what they have to say. (I mean, who doesn’t?) Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows you to connect easily with everyone (not just your immediate social network like on Facebook).   And Twitter usage is definitely becoming more popular with college students.  As a recent article states (which I found via a tweet), “37% of those 18-24 now use Twitter when only 19% did back in December 2008.”

I am a recent college graduate, and I’ve been tweeting for almost a year.  While many of my friends aren’t on Twitter yet or don’t understand the need for it (the most common argument being, “well I have Facebook, why do I need Twitter?”), I appreciate the ease with which I can access so much information.  And it’s not just the amount, but the type of information made available.  Whether I’m in the mood to peruse Mashable’s latest article, hunt for apartments, or pry into the “personal” (and yet so publicized) lives of my favorite socialites, it’s all on Twitter and all within the reach of one browser window.  I quickly process information – choosing what I want to dive deeper into and ignoring what doesn’t interest me.

Lastly, I think the main reason Twitter is growing amongst college students is that it doesn’t require reflection, planning, or even correct grammar. It’s easy and concise. While the lingo and functions might not be the easiest to decipher, it simply communicates a message to a large group of people.  Facebook is great for keeping in touch, sharing many photos, or making plans, but Twitter is perfect for random spouts of unrelated yet intriguing information.  For all intents and purposes, it’s the “quick and dirty” of social media.