Head to head: A pair of editors discuss the merits of Twitter

9/3/09 7:00pm

Twitter's simplicity welcome

The Internet is an inherently stupid and dangerous place. It's a place where pedophiles can shape-shift into 13-year-old boys; it's also a place where 13-year-old boys can shape-shift into film critics. Paultards and Birthers are everywhere. Considering all the targeted advertising, politicking and sensationalism that the Internet has to offer, it's a wonder that we haven't thrown the entire Internet concept out the window in favor of something simpler and more concise.Actually, some of us have.

Twitter, of course, is that simpler and more concise version of the Internet. It's a place where I can get my liberal-leaning political news without ducking through pages of ads for wind turbines. I can use Twitter to keep up with my friends without the hassle of walls, notifications, FarmVille, quizzes about petunias, the Mafia or whatever else Facebook is trying to push on me these days.

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And with the right touch of cynicism, I can tap into the world's breaking news stories without passing through the mainstream media's filter of popular interest. Twitter is an amazing digital multitool that anyone can learn to use.

For those of you who have yet to dabble in the Twitter bird bath, the name of the game is simplicity. "Tweets" are somewhat analogous to Facebook's status updates: Tiny thoughts or blurbs capped at 140 characters, good for a sentence or two. You can send Twitter updates from the web, your phone or a variety of desktop applications. You then "follow" your friends, family or organizations to have their tweets sent to your home page. The entire site is ad-free and offers several other basic features, like direct messaging, favorites and the ability to search trending topics.

Believe it or not, Twitter has actually played a role in modern international politics. This past June, Iran walled off its borders to international journalists as it dealt with the turmoil of disputed presidential election results. The young and techno-savvy supporters of presidential challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi not only took to the streets, but also to the tweets. Twitter's mobile-friendly platform and ease of international use made it the site of choice for organizing rallies and keeping the rest of the modern world updated on President Ahmadinejad's crackdown.

Of course, like any forward-thinking concept, Twitter has its detractors. One popular argument levied against Twitter is that it "dumbs down" the Internet by condensing lengthy op-ed pieces into two-line opinion concentrate. I, too, have sometimes found myself wondering if micro-blogging is the most positive influence on world literacy.

But for the most part, Twitter users also maintain legitimate blogs where they form their opinions into full-length treatises. In this way, Twitter is part news source and part promotional tool, all the while avoiding the detriments inherent to either, such as ads. Just ask Casey Michel, Thresher editor in chief: He knows how to use Twitter for promotional purposes.

And remember, Twitter is a medium, not a guy behind a computer screen. Attacking Twitter by saying that "Twitter is nothing but idiots" is the digital equivalent of an ad hominem argument.

Sure, anyone can sign up for an account and start firing off Tweets about Obama's birth certificate. But learning whom to trust and whom not to is a necessary art that transcends the entire Internet, not just Twitter. You'll find that when you follow the right combination of friends and worthwhile news sources, Twitter can be fine-tuned to your interests.

I'm always bemused by people who say they don't "understand" Twitter, as if the idea carries a minimum requirement for connectivity or brain capacity or age or something. Twitter is not only a friend to the techno-savvy young. It's a wonderful tool saving our already inundated minds from the sweaty junk of the Internet. It's a place to connect with friends without the added baggage of canceling relationships and untagging photos every Sunday afternoon.

It's the old, old Facebook. Anyone who says otherwise is probably crying about their tiny follower count.

Kyle Barnhart is a Will Rice College senior and Thresher Backpage editor.

Micro-blogs waste of cyberspace

I'm an anthropologist's wet dream.

As I write this, I'm splicing my time between browsing Facebook photos, refreshing my Gmail, relinking a Sarah Palin clip through my blog and trawling Hype Machine to find the latest Michael Jackson/Katy Perry mashup.

I'm doing all the things that someone my age is supposed to do. I'm seeing the world through the kaleidoscope of Web 2.0, and I'll do anything and everything that the Internet allows me.

Except Twitter.

I am the last of the Mo-tweet-cans. I can't bear the thought of delving fully, soul and spirit, into the ADD-infused world of Twitter. I can't, and I won't.

Ok, sure, that's a lie. If you search for me on Twitter, you'll find an account in my name, whose tweets are kept private to all but a fortunate few. But if you do somehow crack my account, you'll find that the micro-blogs are nothing more than links to the wide world of Casey's Blogosphere.

That's it. Nothing about shopping for milk, or moping about a cloudy day, or any of the other mind-numbing milieu that scatterbrains send through the Twitter-verse. None of the pointless, self-centered garbage about your wife's placenta (thanks, Joel Stein) or your drive-by thoughts on Kobe Bryant's game (oh, how far Bill Simmons has fallen).

Last June, Time magazine laid out the case for the Twitter's relevance. "Twitter turns out to have unsuspected depth," claimed the magazine, "in part . because hearing about what your friends had for breakfast is actually more interesting than it sounds." Apparently, reading about your coworkers' Fruit Loops infatuation is not only worthy of your time, but it engenders "social warmth."

No. It doesn't. There's nothing interesting in hearing about your friends' soggy flakes. It wasn't before, it isn't now and it won't be when it pops up on your Twitter feed. Voyeuristic? Maybe. Interesting? Not in the least.

Unless your name is Shaq, thinking that your "followers" want to waste their time reading about the great deal you got on a new J. Crew scarf is nauseatingly narcissistic. It paints you in a needy light, that you demand their attention for the most mundane, most trivial parts of your social sphere. Unless you are your school's Regina George, no one would ever fathom wanting to know your sleep schedule, or why last night was so crazy, or how hard your homework is.

We. Don't. Care.

Sure, Twitter's good for some things: Linking to the most recent Fareed Zakaria piece on Iranian politics, swapping songs from an indie band, even following the Thresher (twitter.com/TheRiceThresher).

But for the most part, Twitter is little more than an enabler for egotism. Blogs, I'll admit, are just as selfish. But with blogs you have an entire Web site - as much room as you need - to delve into just why the drafting of Greg Oden is still the smartest move the Portland Trail Blazers could have made. Plus you get a chance to develop your writing, which is where I honed my Wilde-like wit and Pulitzer-worthy prose (and Madonna-inspired modesty).

With Facebook, you can pace yourself - there's enough space to move around, stretch out with photo albums and favorite movies that you can flesh out your entire persona. Twitter, though, gives you only 140 characters to work with. Just enough to describe your croissant-and-coffee - just enough to whet the appetite. But not nearly enough to make it worth anyone's time.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to my Honey Bunches of Oats. These bad boys have vanilla clusters, and man, are they delicious.

Casey Michel is a Brown College senior and Thresher editor in chief.

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