I am generally in tune with various Internet phenomena and as well as social-networking-site-du-jour. However, this Twitter thing is completely baffling. I understand the various niches filled by LiveJournal, Friendster, Myspace, etc. I understand SMS and MMS obsessions. I even know where stupid chain surveys come from and why are there numbers missing. I understand Flickr and Digg. I get people who sign onto AIM or MSN from their cell phones. I do not understand what the point of Twitter is.
My understanding is that it’s a way to spam your friends with SMSs while avoiding
[ul]
[li]The mental effort of figuring out how to send SMS to a group from your phone[/li][li]Getting charged for multiple messages when SMSing a group[/li][li]The responsibility for justifying why you did it[/li][/ul]
Sure, some fifteen year olds might find the idea of sending “Class sucks, yo!” to fifty people absolutely rad, but that doesn’t seem to be the target demographic.
In fact, it only resembles a nightmare I had a few years ago where various IM away messages became a government-mandate push service and were stalking me through the streets.
What the fuck? Who the fuck wants to send them and who the fuck wants to get them?