
Twitter isn’t a Social Network - dshah
http://www.tonywright.com/2009/twitter-isnt-a-social-network/
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ashley
I think of Twitter as a space to move large-scale messages to a broad public,
rather than as a social net-working site. Twitter has proven effective in
organizing political protests, encouraging feedback loops between companies
and clients, and in allowing people to feel connected to celebrities (and
whatever value that affords to people, although its economic value has been
certainly proven by the brisk sales of tabloids). Perhaps the tag system
allows people to connect with others who share similar ideas, but Wright is
correct in saying that Twitter falls short of being email or IM in terms of
meaningful communication. It's more of a "status" or information generating
machine.

Maybe I have a limited view of Twitter, given that I have yet to figure out
what it replaces in my life from email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr
(microblog), WordPress, mobile, RSS feed manager, SMS, letters, and actually
talking to friends in person or via another friend. A Nielsen wire report from
April 2009 mentioned that 60% of new Twitter users fail to return each month,
which averages out to about a 40% overall retention rate, whereas Myspace and
Facebook are reportedly stable at around 70%.

Psychology research on the cognitive limits of stable relationships has
generated an arbitrary Dunbar number of about 150 people, so Twitter
followers/followees numbering in the 1000s seems suspect in terms of actual
social ties. Average Twitter followers for each user has been reported at
around 126, and Facebook is slightly higher, (not sure how those figures were
calculated). But given that many Twitter users are celebrities, companies, or
businesspeople, and Facebook celebrities/products tend to have fan pages
rather than friend accounts, I think we need to see more descriptive
statistics other than just the mean. Perhaps the problem here is one of
defining and then agreeing upon which definition ought to constitute a "social
network." Economics, psychology, marketing, and sociology all have contributed
their version. But I still think Twitter is lacking in its delivery of service
for the average user who isn't embroiled in business, celebrities, or
political turmoil but is looking for a social networking space.

