Twitter – The Double-Edged Social Sword!

I’m sure everyone has got an account, or at least heard about this so called ‘revolutionary’ social-media network – Twitter.

It’s been 3 years since it was released to the public – yet so many bloggers and tweeters alike are like still talking about it, as if it just came out yesterday.

Everything from affiliate advertising to the number of teaspoons of sugar you had in your cup of coffee this morning is discussed on Twitter. So, why is this the double-edged social sword?

I remember reading an article a few months ago, that played a pun on a famous saying – and it went  “Did Twitter kill the blogging star?” The title in itself was enough to grab my attention (just shows how important catchy titles are!) and that made me compelled to read the article. In fact, I think it’s an extremely worthy read for any social-media activist! After you read it, maybe my post here will make a bit more sense.

We know Twitter to be as a social-network tool, where you can catch up with your friends or even strangers on the internet – and get the chance to tell them every single little thing your doing. That’s all nice and well till you start actually reading some of the tweets and you feel that most of the people you are following are usually talking to themselves.

Naturally, if you are an iconic figure and have 1,000s upon 1,000s of followers – there’s bound to be stalkers awaiting to reply to your tweets. Apart from the big timers, let’s take a look at the average Tweeter, with a moderately strong social network built on Twitter. With about 100-500 people following their tweets, you would assume they are ‘pretty successful’ in this social-media? WRONG!

These ‘successful’ Tweeters, which are by far many, seems to be talking to themselves! Clustered in a bunch of other tweets – I would see a stranded user tweet the occasional “I’m going to sleep” or “I”m having breakfast”. Now, this is the true sense of Twitter and the purpose of it.

Unfortunately, today most web-savvy surfers use it as a marketing tool. This is all well, till we get spammers. Just bear in mind that spammers can take many forms from “lifeless severity” to “occasional advertiser.” I would say most users on Twitter are literally obsessed with the fact you can get nearly instant response to your lasted article posted on your blog.

Making a Twitter account on the sole purpose of creating a social network can quickly steer of course, when you seem to talk to yourself. We obviously can decide who we follow, and who we decide to un-follow later on, but you can’t help but feel a  sense of separation amongst Tweeters that just don’t seem to get any replies. Thus, destroying the whole “social” aspect of it.

There’s only one way to combat this ‘Twitter Downfall’, and that is to be very selective on whom you follow. DON’T follow every Tom, Dick and Harry you see – hoping they will follow you! The idea is to build a true-community where statistics don’t reflect upon quality.

Try this for a change, unfollow all the spammers and marketers – then start actually talking to your followers. Then maybe, just mabye, you might capture the true essence of Twitter and reap it’s glorious potential!