Social networking has become an integral part of everyday life. From Facebook to Myspace, Flickr to Last FM and deviantART to LiveJournal, these Web sites have become cultural phenomena at an astounding rate.
One of these social networking sites, however, seems to be basking in the glow from beaming social networking users for longer than most.
This site has seen membership and regular updates from President Barack Obama, Ashton Kutcher, J.K. Rowling and Robert Gibbs. The networking site is, of course, the increasingly popular Twitter.
Twitter, often classified as either a social networking site or a microblog, has become an important entity for keeping in touch.
Used as a tool to constantly update those who follow, Twitter is used by everyone from middle school students informing their friends about their lives to the White House Press Secretary informing the country of the activities of the President.
Logically thinking, the user-friendliness and the increasing popularity of the site, as well as the numerous implications of Twitter could very well change the definition of news.
In the 140-character limit, people can learn who will be Martha Stewart’s guests on her next show, get Al Gore’s latest update on global warming or read whatever random post Lady Gaga decides to publish.
This information can all be readily gathered in a matter of minutes and allow the follower to continue with their day as a more informed individual.
The uses of such a service are nearly endless. The American people now have the ability to receive a continuous stream of updates on topics of their choosing.
Whether they choose to get real-time updates on the health care debate as they happen, find out who won at the Oscars, or even get the latest product updates from Microsoft or Apple.
People ranging from popular singer Justin Bieber to Sen. John McCain regularly use Twitter to update their fans on what they are up to and what goes on around them.
Twitter has managed to become an important, mainstream part of life for people in the public eye.
It gives them an outlet to inform people instantaneously of their thoughts and feelings, without any filter and with total accountability.
What might be most important, though, is the site’s ability to bring news to people.
People can now receive information and updates in the form a 140-character update straight from the source, without any distillation, interpretation or reevaluation.
Twitter has, by accident or intentionally, made for a more accountable population of people in the public eye. It has also given them a vehicle to increase and amplify their profile.
