I am not going to waste my breath explaining what Twitter is or isn’t. What I want to talk about, is the HOW. How did twitter explode? Why did it explode? And the big question – are any young people on the damned thing?
Well, I have my own theories. With Twitter being the greatest new social networking tool, comparisons with Facebook are obvious. But are they?
Facebook started out as a network only young people could join, and slowly developed into a all encompassing marketers wet dream. In short, the young people started it, and the rest of the world followed them. We made it cool, with everyone else now riding on the coattails.
Twitter was not started as a network for young people. It’s tipping point actually came at a nerdy marketer/techie conference, SXSW in Texas. Marketers and other tech savvy people have been the pioneers and the disciples of Twitter…and because marketers rule the world, the message spread, Twitter exploded, and everyone wanted to talk about the elephant in the room.
Yoof, innit.
Why aren’t young people all over Twitter? Why are they still staying with Facebook? When will they all abandon Facebook and jump ship to Twitter? Well, I don’t know if they will.
They found Facebook, and have become loyal, so while all you marketers have bailed overboard, they are still standing at the helm. They weren’t searching for the latest and greatest. They were fine where they were. I think perhaps it’s a bit of envy. The industry was slow to cotton on to Facebook’s potential, so they decided to pioneer something that they could control, a product of their own loins if you will.
It’s the reverse of Facebook. The industry trying to dictate what should be the best, what should be the latest social trend. And it just feels wrong. Young people like to discover, explore, test and validate everything themselves. Maybe when the hype dies down, and they can try out the service without feeling like they are selling out, we will see numbers rise.
But until then, it’s like a toy that you don’t want, but that your parents are begging you to play with.