"Getting" Twitter

Look, I’m not one of those old people who is being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. I’m all in favor of modern communications. As a ham radio operator, I was texting way before it was cool, as I may have mentioned to some of you. I leave Facebook running in the background while I work at home; I have no co-workers with this sort of a job, so with all its limitations and increasing spam, etc., FB is still a source of company.

I need help, though, with finding much of a general use for Twitter, other than one: for breaking news alerts, or for those who need to get a message out of a desperate place, there’s no question about its value. Or maybe to send an angry message to your member of Congress or something.

But is there anyone out there I feel the need to “follow”? I’m a huge fan of certain performers, but am perfectly happy to just watch their shows or listen to their music. Seriously, do I need to know what they’re thinking at any given moment? No, I can probably wait till their next show.

More to the point, it’s the Internet-age-old question: Does anyone really care what I’m doing or thinking at this moment? Why even ask? I have enough trouble getting people to read this blog. Some media outlets charge money for consuming their content. Heck, if I could afford it, I would reverse the process – PAY people to consume my content. But then, there’s the obligation to actually produce something worthy of the name “content.”

On NPR this morning, I heard of a growing trend to tweet while you’re watching TV. Apparently a large number of us can’t watch a show or a movie without having to discuss it instantly with other people. I’m exactly the opposite. I want the thing I’m watching to fully absorb me, which means I at least have to bring my attention into the bargain – and even then, of course, the thing I’m watching may lose me. Anyway, I’m perfectly happy to discuss the show AFTER I’ve seen it, but not DURING. There’s a reason they make you turn off your phone in movie theaters. And nobody seems to feel the need to talk about what they’re watching in such a setting. There’s no need to turn everything into a giant Super Bowl party, is there?

I hear now that even the Pope has a Twitter handle, and already has more than 300,000 followers, even though he has yet to send out his first tweet. Maybe it will give new meaning to the phrase “papal bull.” I guess if you tweet the Pope back, it might be a good idea not to kick it off with “OMG.”

Maybe the Catholic Church (to which I no longer adhere) will start using some of these platforms for online confessions. I’d clearly need more than 140 characters for any of my sins, but well, that’s, as they say, a whole ‘nother program.