Narcissism could be defined as being when a person has excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness. I think Twitter is really a pointless invention, and I think it is simply a way for narcissistic people to only further admire themselves. Even on facebook, some people update their status that says exactly what they're doing. I think maybe it isn’t a bad thing to do in moderation, for example I've seen statuses that are used to try to get support for something, or to get a question answered. It is just when people use twitter and facebook to talk about things that no one else really needs to know. I'm sure that Twitter is useful; however I do think that some people use it unnecessarily.
In an article by the Times clinical psychologist Oliver James said. “Twittering stems from a lack of identity. It’s a constant update of who you are, what you are, where you are. Nobody would Twitter if they had a strong sense of identity.” Although I think this is a very strong view point, i do slightly agree. It is interesting that people have to constantly say what they're doing, when it just isn't necessary. I obviously don't know exactly what makes people use Twitter and constantly update their status on facebook, but I am simply saying that it comes off as being narcissistic. I'm also not anti-facebook since you can do so many other things besides update your status; I just meant that facebook is simply another possible way for people to do this. Overall, I think our society in general is becoming more self-obsessed, and I am interested to see what comes next.
While a lot of tweets are just egotistical status updates, I think that this is an important media whose importance will only grow stronger. It is a fine tool as you mentioned for crowdsourcing answers in real time. It is a great medium for promotional events such as creating flashmob snowball fights. More importantly, as seen in Iran a couple of years ago, it can be an important tool for freedom and preserving civil liberties. Just as the majority of thoughts written in pen mostly likely won't pass the test of time, don't let some narcissistic posts dissuade you from the importance of this media.
ReplyDeletePatricia, I couldnt agree more. I have in fact recently read a few blogs (norwegian mind you, so nothing to forward the link for) of this kind of people. People who think they are so important, and unfortunately they get all these followers making them feel even more important. I am strongly against it, and i too find them ridiculous.
ReplyDeletePat, I also agree. I think Twitter for the "everyday" folk is absolutely not needed. I can understand how people may use Twitter to follow their favorite athlete or celebrity or for important issues, as Cemra mentioned above, but to merely have a Twitter account to post your daily statuses...no one cares, or at least no one should care !
ReplyDelete