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Okay, it's lifecasting that's silly, not Twitter

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Jeremy Toeman

As many people know, I was a rampant “twitter is stupid” person for well over a year.  In my eyes it just seemed like a silly waste of time for the few lucky people with enough time on their hands to use it frequently, something for an extreme minority.  Then I noticed many of my friends and colleagues were getting into it, people who I didn’t associate with the lifecasting crowd, nor people with absurd amounts of free time.  So finally, I succumbed, created a profile, and started following a bunch of people I knew (as in people I really knew, not just heard about from someone else).

Within days I had written numerous “tweets” and my list of followers and followees both grew to include the unknown.  I read, joined, and started conversations (asynchronous and short-form, but conversations nonetheless).  Since that time, I’ve apparently twittered almost 300 times, though I’ve attempted to avoid (as much as possible) the inevitable “I’m doing something kinda mundane, but felt the need to share“.  They happen, but I try to keep the tweets to the conversation, be it about marketing, gadgets, technology, or other topics which are close to home (yup, that includes some hockey).

As I scan tweets and follow conversations on FriendFeed, it’s become quite clear to me that these formats are quite viable for many uses.  Good way to get opinions on a topic, great way to get quick advice or problem-solving.  Interesting way to engage with press and bloggers.  Decent way to interact with people I don’t know well on topics we have in common.  But every time I read about someone getting a coffee, catching a bus, waiting in a line, or getting an oh-so-annoying “I’m at 1st & Main” update, I get the same reaction as when offers for Viagra, University Diplomas, Mortgage Rates, or Nigerian Uncles’ Fortunes hit my inbox.

I believe the main reason for Twitter’s growth over the past 12-18 months is specifically due to the lack of lifecasting.  I was pleasantly surprised to see “the conversations” happening, and the relatively low quantity of “debating between ham&cheese or grilled veggies on rye.”  We are seeing an interesting phenomena right now surrounding social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, with people sharing what I would label “over the top” personal details.  Personally I believe this is directly tied to a lack of understanding of consequences.  We have yet to see the “Digital Natives” get burned by their actions.

Regardless of your feelings on GW Bush as president, the rumors are pretty rampant that he was a big partier back in college.  I could be wrong, but I have a hunch that if he’d had a permanent digital record of all his youthful exuberances, the election process might’ve been a bit trickier.  I’ve blogged about what I called “crime 2.0” in the past (which even elicited some fairly snarky comments), and I maintain the position of: mark my words, there will be bad times ahead.  And frankly, that’ll end up being a good thing for our civilization’s digital future.

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Posted in Web/Internet | 5 Comments
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5 thoughts on “Okay, it's lifecasting that's silly, not Twitter”

  1. Mark Evans says:
    June 18, 2008 at 11:35 am

    Jeremy,

    Count me in as someone who can’t understand why anyone would be interested in the fact they’re going for coffee or enjoying a sunny day. Tell me something interesting or useful or fun.

    Reply
  2. gregory says:
    June 18, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    very good comment … lack of life casting reveals the benefit …

    everything is really its opposite ..

    and we may be able to suggest that social media is really solitary, and … and ..

    Reply
  3. Dave Zatz says:
    June 18, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    Don’t worry man, I bashed the iPhone before I went out and bought one. 😉

    Seriously, I do agree with you and was a similar late adopter. What makes it interesting in our circles is the high percentage of thoughtful conversation in bite sized pieces to be read/replied to at our leisure – synchronous or not. It reminds me a bit of old school IRC (which I haven’t used since the 90s), though potentially slower moving since there’s more of a ‘history’.

    I stop following people who post too many self-promotional blog links or minute by minute mundane life updates – in turn, I try to limit my contributions to “on-topic” subjects and link to sites beyond my blog. Though I did get a little carried away with my WWDC “coverage” – sorry. 😉

    Reply
  4. smorty71 says:
    June 19, 2008 at 6:19 am

    @jtoeman I am eating breakfast while reading this post 😀

    Reply
  5. tivoboy says:
    June 19, 2008 at 7:06 am

    tivoboy is currently not reading this post

    Reply

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About

Jeremy Toeman is a seasoned Product leader with over 20 years experience in the convergence of digital media, mobile entertainment, social entertainment, smart TV and consumer technology. Prior ventures and projects include CNET, Viggle/Dijit/Nextguide, Sling Media, VUDU, Clicker, DivX, Rovi, Mediabolic, Boxee, and many other consumer technology companies. This blog represents his personal opinion and outlook on things.

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