Everyone is doing it: Twitter

Yes, Twitter is the new fad, only that it has come to stay, permanently. A year ago it was relatively unheard of. In our Blogging module our lecturer introdcued us to Twitter but we all laughed it off. Twitter is basically a micro-blog, you are only allowed 140 characters so one cannot be too detailed. Your friends can decide to follow you on Twitter meaning that they will see your new update as soon as you do it. I can tell you, as a Twitterer, it is fun.
Already, major news stories have appeared on Twitter first before news stations have got the story yet. The first details of the deadly Mumbai attacks first appeared when hostages twittered their ordeal. The first picture of the plane on the River Hudson was 'broadcast' through Twitter (yes you can Tweet pictures as well) The first pictures of the Turkish Airline crash also appeared on Twitter as well as numerous other incidents.
Twitter has without question affected journalism today, gone are the days where first witnesses sold pictures to newspapers for a fee. Since everyone these days is carrying a camera, as soon as an incident occurs the first pictures can be online in minutes, and you don't need a chunky 35mm Nikon and a darkroom, no, one snap with your iPhone and in minutes you can tweet the picture and show the rest of the world what you are witnessing.
Twitter has become more popular in the last few months and more and more people are joining it, some people still see it as a tool for the conceited and self-obsessed, while this may be true for some, I look at Twitter as a new form of communication, as a way for keeping in touch with many people without talking directly to all of them. Is this the end of face to face communication? I don't think so. I think the human need for physical contact is innate and no amount of technology will replace it. Has the amount of physical contact diminished over the years? yes, without a doubt, when the telephone was invented critics said it would spell the end of physical contact, the same thing was said about the television. I feel we are reaching a communication technology threshold, maybe we have reached the ideal level of physical contact.
One thing I know is that Twitter is here to stay.