The Trouble with Twitter

**Will.Spencer** · 7 September, 2009, 02:03 AM

I think the Twitter fad may have peaked.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Ff2X_3P_4"]YouTube - trouble with twitter[/ame]

**Zash** · 7 September, 2009, 02:37 AM

LMAO love it!

**5starpix** · 7 September, 2009, 02:46 AM

LOL! Great!

Where did you get the video?

**geeknb** · 7 September, 2009, 06:04 AM

LOL! my friends must watch this video

**m42** · 7 September, 2009, 07:33 AM

Huh. We're seeing a lot of rants along those lines lately. It isn't just Twitter, it's social media in general. Elizabeth Bernstein wrote an article about it last month for the Wall Street Journal:

But I don't give a hoot that you are "having a busy Monday," your child "took 30 minutes to brush his teeth," your dog "just ate an ant trap" or you want to "save the piglets." And I really, really don't care which Addams Family member you most resemble. (I could have told you the answer before you took the quiz on Facebook.)

Here's where you and I went wrong: We took our friendship online. First we began communicating more by email than by phone. Then we switched to "instant messaging" or "texting." We "friended" each other on Facebook, and began communicating by "tweeting" our thoughts—in 140 characters or less—via Twitter.

I'm inclined to agree with her. Social media does seem to destroy the quality of friendships. Instead of having nice meaningful conversations with my friends, I'm bombarded daily (if not hourly) with statuses on what they've had for lunch. In some cases, if I don't find their posts, notes, statuses, or photos on my own, they track me down on instant messenger, send me the URL to the update, and "patiently" await my response there.

If I take a break from IM, suddenly I don't love them anymore. It can't possibly be the fact that I just don't feel like spending 15 hours/day on their particular flavour of crack cocaine, in this case, social media or IM. I much prefer my own vices, such as Netbuilders or God forbid, the real world.

It's nice to keep in touch, but more often than not, it seems that social media brings out the "crazy" in people. It's a great way to start taking your friends for granted.

**bogart** · 7 September, 2009, 11:07 AM

Twitter is a good tool. But I wish that there was a way to limit the tweets from people that I follow.

Originally Posted by m42

Huh. We're seeing a lot of rants along those lines lately. It isn't just Twitter, it's social media in general. Elizabeth Bernstein wrote an article about it last month for the Wall Street Journal:

But I don't give a hoot that you are "having a busy Monday," your child "took 30 minutes to brush his teeth," your dog "just ate an ant trap" or you want to "save the piglets." And I really, really don't care which Addams Family member you most resemble. (I could have told you the answer before you took the quiz on Facebook.)

Here's where you and I went wrong: We took our friendship online. First we began communicating more by email than by phone. Then we switched to "instant messaging" or "texting." We "friended" each other on Facebook, and began communicating by "tweeting" our thoughts—in 140 characters or less—via Twitter.

I'm inclined to agree with her. Social media does seem to destroy the quality of friendships. Instead of having nice meaningful conversations with my friends, I'm bombarded daily (if not hourly) with statuses on what they've had for lunch. In some cases, if I don't find their posts, notes, statuses, or photos on my own, they track me down on instant messenger, send me the URL to the update, and "patiently" await my response there.

If I take a break from IM, suddenly I don't love them anymore. It can't possibly be the fact that I just don't feel like spending 15 hours/day on their particular flavour of crack cocaine, in this case, social media or IM. I much prefer my own vices, such as Netbuilders or God forbid, the real world.

It's nice to keep in touch, but more often than not, it seems that social media brings out the "crazy" in people. It's a great way to start taking your friends for granted.

There will always be something. People used to send postcards and letters. In the 70's they started using CB radios. In the 80's came the California party lines and chat rooms. The 90's brought email and IM.

**CoreyFreeman** · 8 September, 2009, 04:35 AM

This video isn't recent, but it is an interesting video. I agree that social media sometimes "dumbs down" friendships. I've had people I've never met call me their best friend. Sorry but, if we haven't gone out for a pizza, we're not best friends. :P

It's okay to build professional relationships, but I need tangible people for building long-lasting friendships. I don't spill my heart over twitter.

**Menard** · 8 September, 2009, 05:08 AM

Most people who know me online just...really don't want to be my friend.

Something about me being brutish and rude...hey, just my personality.

It's not like I have a lot of posts on Twitter (just over 30 for now...and pardon me if I have a problem with calling what I'm doing...tweeting...oh how sweet). I have been trying to follow some advice given by Wil Wheaton on his blog about posting something interesting...perhaps funny...not every time you brush your teeth.

For some people...I guess...that works; I mean reading as well writing it.

Since I set it up to supplement my blog, I will use it to post about going out of town, as I am presently moving, teasers about the blog, or as a quick rant to blow off steam like when preparing a microwave dinner with printing too small to read the cooking directions and then having to chisel the damn thing lose from the cooking surface because it got overcooked.

Seems like Andy101 has had a good time occasionally posting about my Twitter posts on his Twitter page.