Uh ... Twitter? WTF?
The single biggest complaint that I hear from people who don't use Twitter is that it's all about pointless crap that fills people's days. Well nobody is interested in what I had for breakfast so that's not what I tweet about. And anyone who does write about garbage like that is soon in my rear view mirror.
I use Twitter to learn about developments in technology and to discuss the law. In other words: things that matter to me and to the way I make my living (practicing law). I always assumed that these rules go for everyone; that all Twitter users more or less demand high-quality, relevant content or else.
This infographic illustrates that most of the time only about 1 in 10 Twitter users pays attention to messages, while 90% of the messages come from the biggest companies in the world (i.e. Ford, Proctor & Gamble, etc.). The graphic also tells us that Twitter is big with 20-something women of Latin-American descent, is huge in South America, and is dominated by a tweeting elite of celebrities and brand-hawking marketers.
Pretty soon the "little social network that could" is going to look a lot like that other medium that has come to be dominated by big companies: Television. And at that point I intend to simply turn in my Twitter account. In any case, it looks like Twitter will have a long, long way to go before it's actually useful to professionals like me.
