Twitter Types: Who Tweets and Why
Latest Social Networking Attracts Variety of Users and Dangers
Jun 4, 2009
While Twitter offers users another online source to connect and to stay plugged into the daily stream of information, it's unique because it's simple to use and more easily accessible (ie. cell phones) than other social networking sites.
Why People Twitter
A study by Pew Internet and American Life Project titled, "Twitter and status updating" (Amanda Lenhart, Susannah Fox, Feb 12, 2009), reveals people who Twitter have an "affinity for mobile, untethered and social opportunities for interaction." Twitter unlike Facebook or LinkedIn provides a never-ending "cocktail party" conversation where users can stay in the mix or leave without having to make polite excuses.
In his Online Media Daily article "Twitter Users = Information Junkies" (April 26,2009), Gavin O'Malley cites an April 2009 MarketingProf study among 425 Twitter users that found that 100% of respondents agreed with the statements "I value getting information in a timely manner," and "I find it exciting to learn new things from people," while about 80% "like to be connected to lots of people."
Dr.John M Grohol PsyD suggests that while the reasons people like Twitter are not complex, it is a unique form of online socializing. Twitter offers no real beginning, middle or end to a conversation. As a result, the open universe of non-stop, rolling chatter makes people feel like they don't want to miss anything. ("The Psychology of Twitter,"Psych Central, February 23, 2009).
The Twitter Types: Not Just For Youth
Researchers at Pew found that while most users are young, the median age of a Twitter user is 31 in while the median age among MySpace users is 27, Facebook 26 and LinkedIn 40.
Nearly one in five (19%) online adults ages 18 to 24 have ever used Twitter or its kind and 20% of online adults ages 25 to 34. Usage drops after age 35 with 10% of 35 to 44 year olds and 5% of 45 to 54 year olds using Twitter. Only 4% of 55-64 year olds and 2% of those 65 and older use Twitter. (Lenhart, Amanda, Fox, Susannah, "Twitter and status updating," February 12, 2009.)
The Pew Study also revealed:
- Twitter users are more racially and ethnically diverse than the U.S. population.
- Twitter users are slightly more likely to live in urban areas. 35% of Twitter users live in urban areas (compared to 29% of all internet users) and just 9% of Twitterers and status updaters living in rural areas, compared to 17% of internet users.
- Because of their young age, Twitter users tend to be in lower income households. 17% of internet users in households earning less than $30,000 tweet and update their status, compared with 10% of those earning more than $75,000 annually.
- Wireless internet are also more likely to be users of Twitter and other status updating services. 14% of users who access the internet wirelessly via a laptop, handheld or cell phone have used a service like Twitter, compared to 6% of users who go online but do not do so wirelessly. Twitter is linked with the use of other social media; both blogging and social network use increase the likelihood that an individual also uses Twitter.
Tweeters Beware: The Dangers Behind Microblogging
But despite the positive aspects of social networking, Twitter has it's downside:
- The Zombie Effect: Dr.Grohol suggests, "This not knowing if you’ve missed anything “important” in the Twitterverse is a characteristic of the increase in information overload many people are beginning to experience. Between blogs, RSS feeds, news headlines, emails, Facebook status updates, and now Twitter, many people are starting to look like zombies trying to process all the information being pushed to them."
- Re-frames moral compass/desensitizes: In a CNN.com/Technology article titled, "Scientists warn of Twitter dangers" (April 14, 2009), researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang explains, "If things are happening too fast, you may not ever fully experience emotions about other people's psychological states and that would have implications for your morality."
- Creates permanent record: Users can delete their Twitter account and any sign they ever existed, (unless their Twitter updates and information have already been indexed by Google). Until that time, user updates and information are permanently part of the web.
- Time-Zapping and Addictive: Like all social media, Twitter can whittle away a users productive day.
- Attracts trolls and squatters: Unwelcome "followers" can latch on, stalk, sell or irritate.
- Creates Hidden Cost: If someone tweets from their cell, the charges for text messages can add up quickly.
Twitter is an unexpected online phenomenon and is attracting a variety of users across ages and use. Like all social media however, Twitter presents the usual online dangers but it also has some unique downfalls.
Additional Resources:
Teens and Sexting: Prosecute or educate?
Pew Research: Twitter Users Are More Mobile In News Consumption
 |
