Twitter?

I narrowly avoided putting a title like "To tweet or not to tweet" so I have avoided looking like an idiot for the moment. I joined Twitter about three months ago because I couldn't understand the point. I was roundly mocked by my friends who thought it was idiotic banal ranting and basically just a Facebook status list of people you don't care about. Three months in and I can understand what the point is. It is a way to share the amusing little moments in everyday existence, it is having someone to turn to and yell "WTF" to when something goes wrong, it is about having someone to whine to when you are feeling down. Most of the time it will make no difference but the very act of writing it down makes you feel better. It is banal, it is idiotic, but it is something you can't understand unless you throw yourself into it. If you haven't tried it, then do and see if you like it.

There a few points that I do agree with the sceptics on. "Stephen Fry tweeted yesterday" is not a headline, those of us who care are following him and heard yesterday, those who don't care, don't care. Tweeting about what you ate is not interesting and shows you have little imagination. Last but not least, tweeting about a cause is not the same as donating money or time.

Twitter does have some big uses, notably sharing information in a way that a lawsuit cannot block. Large papers are vulnerable to courts but trying to stop something coming out over Twitter is like trying to swat a swarm of bees, there is nothing you can do but hide until its all goes away.

Twitter is and will always be random musings and whiny self-absorption. But there is a place for that alongside serious issues, what is unimportant to the world as a whole is often important to an individual. I have found that I like twitter and the random twists and turns it throws up during the day. I will continue to use it and post my musings on life the universe and everything, for those who don't want to know don't read it.