Communication Breakdown
Communications from the world of, er, communications. And other stuff.
Tuesday 14 July 2009, 9:42 AM
Twitter, kids and analysts: a cautionary tale
Here's the paragraph in question:
… teenagers do not use Twitter. Most have signed up to the service, but then just leave it as they release that they are not going to update it (mostly because texting Twitter uses up credit, and they would rather text friends with that credit). In addition, they realise that no one is viewing their profile, so their 'tweets' are pointless.
It's an interesting analysis, and it is quite possibly true that the kids are not down with Twitter. However, two problems. Firstly, Robson refers only to tweeting via text, which is how Twitter started but certainly not how people use it now. Since the founders opened up the APIs, the best way to use Twitter is through a third-party client such as Twhirl or Tweetdeck, either on the desktop or on a touchscreen smartphone such as the iPhone.
(Note, however, that operators such as O2 are in the process of making tweet-texts free, so there clearly is a sector still using the service in this way.)
Secondly, and more worryingly, Robson's reference to a "profile" that no-one might be viewing does not strike me as familiar in the Twitter context. Users of the service don't view a contact's profile; they view that person's tweets via a feed, mixed up with everyone else's tweets.
There's a lot of value in talking to kids (or, as in this case, getting them in as interns) to try and gain a reality check, but firms like Morgan Stanley shouldn't take all the resulting data as gospel.
Many kids (and many adults) have trouble seeing reality beyond their immediate environment, and I don't think this lad has ever used Twitter.
PreviousComments on this post
Nice post David.
I think it's true, very few adolescents seem to be attracted to the service that many of us have come to know and love - despite Tweetdeck updates now meaning that my 'shorten URL' function won't work.
I tried to follow a few young mavericks such as that Alex Tew, the 21-year-old 'entrepreneur' that set up the Million Dollar Homepage. He doesn't follow back and only uses the web as an interface. Not very web 2.0 of him really is it?
AdrianB
Mathew Robson is the identical twin of my nephew (Also 15).
Uses Xbox Live to keep in touch with his friends. Uses a mobile for the sole purpose to chat with girls. Has an ipod to look cool. Doesn't buy music - gets it off his friends. Laptop/Webcam for the internet/facebook to chat with girls. Has a 22'' LG Monitor/TV for watching TV/playing Xbox. Doesn't listen to the radio. Doesn't use twitter. Has very little exercise and stays in his room mostly. Takes the day off ill if its the school sportsday!
I'm not sure how much of a surprise this really is, David. I mean, I work in a classroom with a few hundred children (11-18yrs) passing through every week. In a one-off lesson on internet safety, I did a poll on their use of 'social internet' sites.
Bebo was ranked pretty low ("it's for kids", being the main argument against its use) while Facebook was ranked the best (MySpace also rated low with these kids, on the basis that it's gone pretty commercial & only really any good for listening to bands)
Twitter elicited the unexpected response; "what's twitter?"
brief explanation ensued, and the kids were still nonplussed as to its benefits.
If Facebook works for them, why would they want to try & replicate it by using a service thats more like SMS?
Most of the students who had decent mobile phones said they could update their facebook status pretty easily that way, or else they'd just send out an SMS - given how much time they spend on the damned things they must be on extremely generous tariffs!!!
they then pretty much dissed the whole service for much the reasons outlined in your blog.
Despite I'm more than happy using Twitter to follow friends and a couple of celebs/names/other I'm seen as somewhat unfashionable by my students for using what they see as pointless... and in less characters than they can use for texting!
(lolz, they'd see me as unfashionable WHATEVER i do!!)
Fascinating stuff, thanks to all for posting. I wouldn't have guessed this.
Reassuring as well, I suppose. I assumed that I didn't use Twitter, and didn't really "get" it's usefulness and purpose, because I'm too old. Now I know it is because I'm really "hip", that's great news!
jw
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