I never thought I’d get into the social aspect of the new internet.
I’d been there before, with the open chat with IRC and then the MUCK. Newsgroups, I never posted, merely lurked.
And now, twitter. I really enjoy using twitter, but I’m trying to figure out why. I think of twitter as more of an open channel in IRC, where anyone can say anything. But being able to follow a person makes discussion easier. I’ve had two great experiences with twitter so far.
First, I reconnected with some good people from college. Granted it was an extremely happenstance, roundabout, against the odds occurrence, but it was still great.
Second, a friend and I were able to resolve an issue a friend of mine was having with her corporate internet. Best part: She’s in NYC, I’m in DC, and he’s in Singapore. It’s not a big deal, admittedly, but twitter provided the medium, the environment, where an event like that could happen. It’s a good example of how twitter can communicate more than just a status message or the trivial.
But the trivial part is probably what I enjoy the most. I like small details. I like knowing that a friend of mine is watching his farm animals sunning themselves. I like knowing that a friend of mine bit her lip very badly and she’s in pain. (Er, well, I don’t like the fact that she’s in pain.) I like knowing that another had tea and siopao for breakfast.
These tiny details make up entire lives and while a lot of us are separated by vast spaces, I’m glad that they chose to share those details.
Oh, and the voyeur in me enjoys being able to “hear” anyone else on twitter talking about a game I’m playing or a topic that interests me. That part never hurts, either.