Twitter, the Micro blogging Website - Essay Example

Twitter, the Micro blogging Website number Twitter, the Micro blogging Website Creating atwitter page for oneself is one of the easiest actions on the net. To be a part of a micro blogging site that has a majority of the users of the internet as its members is a thrilling opportunity. It not only gives one the opportunity to keep abreast of the developments that happen in the world of politics and also in the lives of their friends and acquaintances. In this sense, twitter is similar to other social networking sites like facebook, MySpace and flickr (Lüsted, 2011).

These sites enable people to stay in touch with each other and share their interests with like-minded people. To begin one’s activity on twitter, it is necessary to have an account on twitter. For this, one needs to visit the twitter website and fill in a few details that would then lead to one owning an account in twitter. This account can then be used to connect with other people who are also on twitter. One can ‘follow’ certain other users of twitter and thus, receive updates on their life through the messages that they post.

In such a situation, celebrities are likely to attract more followers than people who are less famous. It is thus, a useful tool for celebrities to connect with their fans and understand their tastes. Celebrities like Justin Bieber constantly update their accounts and are able to stay in touch with fans by posting messages and pictures (Justin Bieber, 2012). Twitter has become so popular amongst people that it is one of the major media that is used by the high and the mighty in the world of entertainment.

Even in third world countries where the density of internet users may not be as much as the ones in Europe and North America, twitter is a very important phenomenon. One can see this in the number of followers that the celebrities in third world country have n twitter. A popular Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra has over two million followers on twitter (Priyanka Chopra, 2012). This in itself points to the popularity of twitter all over the world. During the Arab Spring, too, there was a great deal of debate regarding the role of twitter in mobilising the people into groups of resistance against dictatorial powers.

Twitter thus has a role to play in channelizing revolution in different parts of the world as well (Huang, 2012). Once one is on twitter, one can also be followed. People who may feel that they share the same interests may follow another person and share information with that person. The information that people share with another person is also something that can be viewed and shared by others. However, there is a provision whereby this kind of information can be shared only amongst a select group of people.

This can be employed to ensure the privacy that many people crave on social networking sites as well. The availability of information freely is what turns twitter into such an attractive medium for professionals, celebrities and their PR machinery. A person can also retweet what another person has tweeted. This can lead to a chain whereby the same tweet circulates amongst many people. This can again lead to a dissemination of information that shall then probably be referred to as a trending topic.

The interesting aspect of this is that this topic may then start trending on other media as well. Ideas and events may then be circulated amongst people (Kesey, 2010). In such cases, it is evident that the power of a networking site like twitter is immense and its uses are multifold. One of the most interesting aspects of twitter is the fact that a single tweet is not more than 140 characters. This conciseness is what makes twitter such an exciting medium whereby people can express their views in a short and succinct manner.

It also provides an opportunity to share events and incidents that may not be very important. Twitter enables a quick and widespread dissemination of information, be it urgent or not. Twitter and other such social networking sites have been criticized for the sense of virtual reality that they create and the inability that many people have to come out of it into what we term reality. However, it can be used as a platform where diverse people can come together and share their opinions and aspects of their lives that they may not have been able to as a result of the compulsions of time and space.

References Justin Bieber. (2012). From Twitter online. Retrieved 23rd August, 2012, from https://twitter.com/justinbieber Priyanka Chopra. (2012). From Twitter online. Retrieved 23rd August, 2012, from https://twitter.com/priyankachopra Kelsey, Todd. (2010). Social Networking Spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and Everything In Between. New York: Apress. Lüsted, Marcia Amidon. (2011). Social Networking: MySpace, Facebook, & Twitter. Minnesota: ABDO. Huang, Carol. (2011). “Facebook and Twitter key to Arab Spring uprisings: report”.

From The National online. Retrieved 23rd August, 2012, from http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/facebook-and-twitter-key-to-arab-spring-uprisings-report