+ & - of Twitter

As with all media, Twitter has both positive and negative attributes.  Interestingly, the most instantly recognizable characteristic of Twitter can be viewed in both a positive and negative light.  The 140 character limit per posting can make the task of both writing and reading a posting less daunting of a task.  Placing constraints also sometimes forces one to be more creative in its crafting, as Fromm points out the “power of constraints” and how “poetry shows a similar relationship between constraint and inspiration” (Fromm, K., 2009).  The downside to this is when perhaps one needs more than 140 characters to express something.  The concise nature of tweets and the ease in creating content also encourages the frequency and subsequent quantity of postings created.  This in turn can make the task of reading and staying abreast of the various postings, once again a daunting task.  Although it’s wonderful how easily individuals can tap into and create information with Twitter, on the same token it’s problematic to have to weed through and decide what content to take in, which to disregard, and how much time and the frequency in which one would like to dedicate to this medium.  

I suppose with anything, our perspectives color the way in which experience the world.  Assigning positive and negative attributes to something is subjective.  Just as someone can view a cup as half full, and another as half empty, a positive attribute of Twitter can also be viewed as a negative attribute based on a number of factors.  The one certain thing about Twitter though is how it’s changing the way in which information flows, and as such, those in the information services industries must be familiar with the medium. 

Reference:

Fromm, K. (2009). The real-time web: A primer, part I. Read Write Web. Retrieved from:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_real-time_web_a_primer_part_1.php