The Philippine Online Chronicles

Did 2009 become the year of Twitter after all?

Early in 2009, both bloggers and the press talked about the possibility of some new media forms, such as microblogging platform Twitter and the like, earning a dominant spot in the lives of Internet users and going as far as pervading their everyday lives in not just the personal aspect but also in their professional lives.

In January, the fresh networks blog noted that Twitter was gaining a lot of attention from the press at the time and moved on to speculate about the possibility of microblogging finally making a breakthrough in 2009 as the top social media tool.

On the importance of Twitter being given attention by the press, the blog author writes: “Whilst many people may be using Twitter, it only becomes really useful as a social media tool when it starts to meet mass adoption. Just like the first fax machine, or the first use of email, Twitter and other social media tools become more useful and more rewarding the more people that use them. They will only really come into their own when they stop being niche and start being popular.”

Supporting this is the case presented by Aida Edemariam in her article for the Guardian detailing the use of Twitter by the Israeli consulate in New York. Through Twitter, the consulate was able to host a public, government-backed citizen’s conference which proved to be popular, as it gained nearly 4,000 followers.

For this kind of use, it seems that the main appeal of Twitter is its simplicity. Every tweet is limited to only 140 characters, so answers to the question “What are you doing?” and replies to questions sent in by followers must be kept short and direct to the point. In this case, being able to communicate its side to interested parties was the key for Israel to stay relevant in the discussion of its actions by members of the blogosphere.

This, however, was not always the case as there was a time when Twitter served no real purpose than to be a repository of updates on the common, day-to-day activities of the users. In December of 2007, Scott Karp, the CEO of the web-based newswire Publish2 Inc, wrote on his site why he stopped using Twitter.

"Twitter is a massive waste of time ... Twitter has turned distraction into an art form." This, predictably, triggered a tsunami of comment from Twitterers everywhere. His answering update was reasonable, but firm. "Twitter may be the first step on an evolutionary path to something indispensable, but for me, it's just not there yet," said Karp.

And indeed, Twitter users showed that the service could get there faster than expected. In 2008 and 2009, citizen journalism had become more common, making Twitter into more than just a waste of time – it became a nearly indispensable tool on certain occasions. With the aforementioned key elements – ease of use and simplicity of design, it became easier for Twitter to join in on the reporting of events that they considered important to them.

Rhodri Marsden, columnist of the Independent’s cyberclinic, made clear in his article in January 2009 that Twitter’s usefulness wasn’t obtained by simply owning an account.

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

Twitter in plain English.

“Twitter obviously isn't intrinsically entertaining. It's a benign service – in the same way that the internet would be 'boring' if all it contained was the torpid mumblings of teenage goths, or swivel-eyed racists commenting on every news story as if it were an affront to their personal freedom. You can't criticise Twitter for being boring if you don't contribute to the pool,” Marsden said.

For an example of this, there is no need to look further than the local scene. In July, the State of the Nation (SONA) address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had become one of the most-discussed topics on twitter.

The Inquirer previously reported that topics under “SONA,” “GMA,” and “PGMA” were on top of Twitter’s “trending” list an hour before President Arroyo started her speech at 4 p.m. Two hours after it ended, it remained the second most-discussed topic, beating the ongoing San Diego Comics Conference and the latest Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

Obviously, a user has to get into trending topics and make some posts of their own to get more out of Twitter in the form of finding useful info and getting relevant replies from other users.

Meanwhile, citizen journalism through new media has been spotted locally, and increasingly at present, especially since many Filipinos have found a way for the web to support their sense of community. For instance, users of the blogging platform Tumblr have found community in Pinoy Tumblr, a tumble log for all things Pinoy including local humor, Filipino culture on the web, and relevant information on events such as disasters and political discourse.

It is interesting to note that Pinoy Tumblr contributors have pointed out that the Philippines is among the countries with the most number of Tumblr users, which might give an indication of how serious Filipinos are about their social networking sites.

Another example of the sense of community that Filipinos have fostered through new media was seen in the aftermath of the Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng when Filipino bloggers constantly posted details on how and where to offer aid and send donations.

Finally, the AFP recently reported on the successes of both Twitter and Facebook this year. In terms of user base, Twitter has largely grown – starting with more than two million users at the beginning of 2009 to nearly 40 million now. Likewise, Facebook now has 350 million users.

The article quotes Scott Stanzel, of Seattle-based public relations consulting firm Stanzel Communications, who said that a year ago, people would not have imagined Twitter to have the influence that it now has.

"It was gaining popularity but it has really exploded this year and it's done so in a way that's become incredibly pervasive," he said.

Photo: “Twitter bird logo icon illustration” by Matt Hamm, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

Video: "Twitter in plain English" uploaded by leelefever to YouTube.com.