The Pew Internet & American Life Project, which is almost CERTAINLY a good use of our tax dollars, found that Twitter use amongst teens age 12 to 17 has doubled from two years ago, from 8 to 16 percent. Another Pew survey found that one in five 18 to 29 year olds use Twitter. But the real question is, if there are so many people on Twitter, how come so few of them are following me?
Note the number of followers. How could this be?
The study suggests that the move away from Facebook is motivated by teen's desire for privacy. It's simple to make your lock down your profile to only those who you want to see it. But the professor of communication at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, a Mr. Ananda Mitra, suggests that online privacy is "mythical privacy". He believes that even if you make your Protect Your Tweets, they can still be seen. I mean, what if there are cyber-hackers who desperately want to know what you're eating for breakfast? This way of thinking tells me that Professor Mitra needs to relax. The world isn't as scary as he thinks.
Pictured: Professor Mitra with the flamethrower he always carries in case he's attacked by bats.
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If I could make another suggestion as to why Twitter might be gaining ground on Facebook — Twitter is used to send short messages to people who are interested in us. Facebook is used for pictures, status updates, tagging, subscriptions, Liking, comments, posts on other people's Wall, posts on your own Wall, Timeline, events, groups, Farmville, notes, and poking.
"I get message notifications when I'm chatting? Is chatting messaging now?"
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I feel like there's too much going on in Facebook, and simplicity is going to be more successful when you're dealing with the complicated lives of teenagers. If you think about social media as a tool. Would you rather have one with a single function it does well, like a hammer, or some cumbersome multi-purpose tool that tries to do everything?
Pictured: For all intents and purposes, Facebook.
Have you made a similar move away from Facebook and towards Twitter? Let us know why in the comments below!
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