I'm using this week's post to blog about something i've wanted to bring up for a while; teens and twitter. A NY Times article published in August reported that only 11% of twitter users are aged 12-17. Additionally, the article suggested that teens do not use twitter because they don't need to advertise themselves, and they can use facebook or other sites to better communicate with their friends. I'd like to ask you all a question; Do you use twitter? Why? If not, why don't you?
I started using twitter about the time this article came out. Honestly, I just started because twitter was all over the news and I wanted to know what the big fuss was about. I decided I liked twitter when I started following celebrities. I found it interesting to know what my favorite musicians and tv and movie personalities were up to.
However, I understand why people don't want to use twitter. In my case, it's almost impractical for me to use it; no one is going to care what I have to say, and if I message celebrities, they won't respond. Similarly, I personally know only about ten of the people I follow, because nobody I know uses the application.
What does the lack of twitter participation suggest about people my age? It is something significant or is it just because Twitter isn't popular?
Personally, I don't twitter because I don't feel the need to advertise what I'm doing all the time; I'm uncomfortable even putting up a facebook status most of the time. However, I do think that people like the fact that they can follow celebrities or other famous people, and see what they are up to on a day to day basis; it makes celebrities seem more real. I think the fact that there is a lack of twitter participation among teens could come from a lack of time - I know I wouldn't have time to during the busy school week, and the fact that most teens use facebook instead, which can serve the same purpose as twitter.
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