The Twitter Revolution

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Imagine entering a room and seeing someone for the first time.  In one glance, the tilt of the head, the reach of a hand, the emerging fork; you see clues that hint at a more fully formed personality.

That’s Twitter.  Words kept to a minimum.  Just a glance that covers enough ground to invite tentative satiation.

My writing on this blog, meanwhile, is gradually being influenced by Twitter.  Minimization where likely.

Is this in any way revolutionary?  Will the use of social media, like Twitter, change the way we communicate?  Is minimization inherent to our time?  Yes, yes and yes.

1.  Is this in any way revolutionary?  Yes.  We, the generation at the vanguard of change, can feel it.  Essentially, ‘times’, or experiences, are being created democratically.  When something ‘goes viral’, it has successfully appealed to countless minds as appropriate.

This radical democratization is pulling politics, for one, in revolutionary ways.  One major party was taken over this year by a candidate who, for good or ill, was skilled at harnessing this new potential.  Another candidate, again with minimization skills, came close to taking over our other party.

2. Will the use of social media, like Twitter, change the way we communicate?  Yes.  In a word, timeliness--something easily lost to changing circumstance.  Wait too long and what you want to say is said by someone else, or no longer feels quite appropriate. 

3. Is minimization inherent to our time? Yes.  Not only is there a race to express timeliness--the news of the day, for example, but the huge number of those in on the worldwide conversation means that one can’t hope to read everything.  Instead, ‘promoted’, ‘trending’, ‘shared’ and ‘liked’ content competes for attention, with minimization offering an advantage in the sorting out process.

Of course there’s nothing inherently uplifting about today's Twitter, aside from minimization.  But that will come.  My own suggestion to that effect is here.