Twitter may be growing in popularity among younger people, but it's largely a grown-up affair for people who have expensive smartphone plans and spend a lot of time marketing, networking, and reporting. The teens that sign up for Twitter realize that no one is viewing their profile, so their 'tweets' are pointless. The question is: why don't more of them put in the time, the way they did with Facebook
One reason is that they don't yet see the value of Twitter as we adults have fashioned it: a rapid ticker of interesting links, breaking news, and networking opportunities; they aren't old enough to. Teen entrepreneurs, such as the shoe-collecting blogger Jane Aldridge, who runs Sea Of Shoes, are making forays onto Twitter, but they are tentative.
The second reason teens aren't rushing to Twitter follows the first: the site is aimed at adults. For instance, many teenagers question why UK's most famous Twitter user, Stephen Fry, attracts so many followers. No doubt Aldridge, because she is a mini-mogul, was told by older people that she just had to join Twitter.
But where and how does a regular teenager start to feel that they are a part of this new world How does anyone Facebook was targeted at college kids and trickled down to teens before it trickled up to adults. Teens are all over social networking sites, but the only site they mention by name is Facebook. Sure, teens might be embarrassed and annoyed that the Stephen Frys of the world (including their parents) are now on Facebook, but it was the teens' site first.
Perhaps educators and parents should be grateful that teens haven't yet migrated to Twitter. It's an imperfect system that moves too fast. Valuable time is spent learning how to use, tweak, and customize Twitter, gain followers, gain friends, and actually benefit from the tidbits and links that are tweeted.
And what exactly are the benefits That the Internet now looms largest (and larger than ever) in our lives Social media is more of a conduit to more media than it is a conduit to socialization. It is a feed and a factory of information, but it churns out high page views, rapid click-throughs, and infinite little doses glugged back like a rainbow cocktail of drugs. Is this how we want young people to consume information
When teens do use the Internet as a source of information for a variety of topics, they turn to Google. Google is still our compass, no matter which social media vessel we ride. But, it is rare for Google to provide answers. Google provides facts and information, but unfortunately they can be confused for one another, especially by younger eyes.
Teenagers are one of the most active Internet users. They listen to music, socialize, play video games, and watch videos and movies. Yes, they seek out information on the Internet, but only because they're already online. For some students, what are they finding in place of books If they're seeking information other than their friends' latest Facebook wall posts and status updates, they're finding it on sites that are largely unaware of their presence, and unaware of how they are interpreting and using the information provided.
We know this is problematic, but instead of looking for ways to fix the problem, the media and most businesses and startups who think about the Internet are thinking about- that is to say, obsessing over- social media. The evidence suggests that there are few organizations out there concerned about making the Internet more educational; if they are, they're being drowned out.
Twitter may inspire love, hate, fatigue, and A.D.D., but its story is actually promising: it didn't set out to be the information parkway that it is today. It started as a mobile, ever-changing collection of "away messages". The people transformed it into a mobile, ever-changing online media exhibition and ombudsman. The trouble is, there's a party in full swing on Twitter, but over at Google, there's a pandemic that needs our attention.
