Twitter is not a social network according to Twit VP Kevin Thau. “Its for news, content and information,” Thau said.
Twitter without a doubt is the best way to share and discover what is happening right now.
Wikipedia defines a social network as a social structure made up of individuals or organizations that are connected by one or more things such as friendships, family members, etc.
Twitter has individuals and they are connected by tweets and more. I believe Thau went a little far by saying that Twitter isn’t a social network. Yes one can receive information and news from there depending on who they follow but so much more goes on beyond that.
Twepoles can post video and pictures and even update their followers of their location. I use Twitter for pure entertainment. I really don’t seek to get any kind of serious news from Twitter because I don’t find it credible but that’s a whole other blog.
Why and how do you think Thau came to this conclusion? Does he not want to be lumped in the social networking category? Social networking isn’t all bad. Millions of people have reconnected, gotten positions and can stay up to date with whomever they chose.
Like cyber punk I think the term social network has been given a new meaning. When social networking first started up it was good but not great. And now that it has evolved into a beast it’s almost like the second coming. There are many advantages to being apart of this revolution of social networking.
I found an article describing five reasons why Twitter is an essential social media tool.
Twitter is about the conversation.
You can use Twitter to promote your social bookmarking submissions.
Twitter can boost your blog.
Twitter is networking gold.
The power of the re-tweet equals viral gold.
This article was written in 2008 so imagine how the top five list has expanded.
Closing thought, perhaps Thau didn't mean it as just a social networking site but something that has evolved past it.
I have to agree with your closing thought. While Thau might not have intended it to be a social networking site, I really don't think there is a truthful way to get around it. Where I think he is right, and I use this example a lot (probably because I have a degree in journalism), is when Twitter is used to break news, actual, important news. While the definition of important may differ from person to person, my favorite example is that of 'The Miracle on the Hudson'. The first photo the world saw was posted to Twitter from a cell phone of someone on a boat. If we break down what Thau said “Its for news, content and information." I think he is right, the content depends on who you are interested in or what you are interested in, the news is self-explanatory (Miracle on the Hudson) and the information is endless.
ReplyDeleteBy the definition you have posted, of course Twitter is a social network. Thau, could be saying that it is not a social network in hopes that people would see it differentiated from all the other social networks. By not emphasizing Twitter as a social network, it does not put it in direct competition with those sites that have decided to be labeled as social networks.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Danelle. I love the responses it has elicited from your peers. The point I would add to the discussion is that though Twitter may not have been conceived as a social network, the users and third party developers have taken pains to make it into one.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. I think your observation about the credibility of news on twitter is one that many people struggle with. I think what twitter does well in delivering news information is that it is usually the first to put in your consciousness that something happened involving somebody somewhere, basically just headlines. For more details, it's usually best to go to another news source.
ReplyDelete