Twitter isn’t a Social Network

I think of Twitter as a space to move large-scale messages to a broad public, rather than as a social net-working site. Twitter has proven effective in organizing political protests, encouraging feedback loops between companies and clients, and in allowing people to feel connected to celebrities (and whatever value that affords to people, although its economic value has been certainly proven by the brisk sales of tabloids). Perhaps the tag system allows people to connect with others who share similar ideas, but Wright is correct in saying that Twitter falls short of being email or IM in terms of meaningful communication. It's more of a "status" or information generating machine.

Maybe I have a limited view of Twitter, given that I have yet to figure out what it replaces in my life from email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr (microblog), WordPress, mobile, RSS feed manager, SMS, letters, and actually talking to friends in person or via another friend. A Nielsen wire report from April 2009 mentioned that 60% of new Twitter users fail to return each month, which averages out to about a 40% overall retention rate, whereas Myspace and Facebook are reportedly stable at around 70%.

Psychology research on the cognitive limits of stable relationships has generated an arbitrary Dunbar number of about 150 people, so Twitter followers/followees numbering in the 1000s seems suspect in terms of actual social ties. Average Twitter followers for each user has been reported at around 126, and Facebook is slightly higher, (not sure how those figures were calculated). But given that many Twitter users are celebrities, companies, or businesspeople, and Facebook celebrities/products tend to have fan pages rather than friend accounts, I think we need to see more descriptive statistics other than just the mean. Perhaps the problem here is one of defining and then agreeing upon which definition ought to constitute a "social network." Economics, psychology, marketing, and sociology all have contributed their version. But I still think Twitter is lacking in its delivery of service for the average user who isn't embroiled in business, celebrities, or political turmoil but is looking for a social networking space.