"HI TWITTERS. THANK YOU FOR A WARM WELCOME.
FEELING REALLY 21st CENTURY."
~Oprah, on Twitter
The two major things on my mind right now: Harry Potter and Twitter. The first because the final film opens in theaters in just a couple short days and the second because I've been reading about it a lot and am struggling with how I really feel about it.
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| Is this what Harry Potter's Twitter might look like? |
While I love Facebook and check it umpteen times a day, there's something about Twitter that bothers me. Maybe it's because I don't think that anyone needs to know exactly what I'm doing every minute of every day. Or maybe it's because I've been attached to Facebook for so long and don't want to seem like I've changed my social networking preference. Also, I'm not one to post a new status multiple times a day or even once per day; I use Facebook more to talk to friends through chat and look at their pictures.
Honestly, I believe that for all social networking sites, there is a fine line between "something to do in your free time" and "having it take over your life." If we aren't careful, we could get completely absorbed in Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc.
But coming back around to Twitter: I guess I can't completely oppose something I've never tried, so I'm willing to give it a shot. After reading more about it, I can see the perks of building a professional learning network (PLN). However, I still think there are plenty of other ways to learn and communicate with teachers around the country (blogs, personal/professional sites, etc.). Who knows; maybe I'll surprise myself and over the course of this year, I'll learn to love Twitter and all of the professional benefits it offers. But in the meantime, I might poke fun at it a little. =)
And if at the end of the year I find that I don't like Twitter, I can always think like Harry Potter, say "Evanesco!" and make my account disappear.
"Using Twitter for literate communication is about as likely as firing up a CB radio and hearing some guy recite 'The Iliad.'"
~Bruce Sterling, science fiction writer and journalist
Caitlin~
ReplyDeleteYou comments on the dangers of technology's potential to overshadow our reasons for using are valid, and the cartoon is perfect representation of your point. Facebook, blogs, and other social networking sites, as you point out, are entertaining and useful for connecting, but do have the potential to driven by excess and obsession. Twitter, by its ver nature, would seem to promote this. However, like you, I am willing to consider its possibilities!
~Mindy
We still don't know the real impact of our hyper-connected society. Trust your instincts!
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