Thoughts on a Twitterversary
One of those automated spambots on Twitter informed me that today was my 5–year anniversary of microblogging. Wow. Five years. Really?
What was I up to five years ago?
I was living in Boston, in-between my family’s quinquennial moves to San Francisco. My brain was on fire, as I’d hit upon a worthy successor to the Social Media News Release concept and was just a couple of weeks away from debuting the Social Media Newsroom template.
As I look back, 2007 was a prolific time for the entire Social Media industry. It was not only the year Twitter started its remarkable run, but was also a time when Facebook was becoming truly important to the wider world; when bloggers were getting their due; when SXSW was worth attending; when the Echo Chamber was fully formed. Some of my best thinking was produced in that timeframe, as I do a quick review of my “Jedi Academy” posts. This was the era before Social Media Experts and dashboards and marketing automation and near-daily must-attend seminars.
Now, of course, everything is so … sophisticated. The money is flowing. Much of the ideas come from companies latching on to a sustainable trend vs. individuals sharing a passion. I don’t bemoan the loss of that more innocent age. The profit motivations don’t bother me a bit. I only worry that the best ideas don’t always get a fair shake.
When I learned it was my 5–year anniversary, my next thought was, “Can I envision a 10–year anniversary on Twitter?” I’ll admit, my gut reaction was, “NFW.” Then again: why not? Twitter, Google and Facebook have each done a far more credible job of embedding themselves in our daily lives than old stars like AOL, MySpace, Friendster, etc. … And they are minting money, with no end in sight. … And they are cultural touchstones in a way that those bygone services were not. These three companies – Facebook, Apple, Twitter and Google – are the titans of this new age; they could well outlast us all. … Which is why I worry that the best ideas don’t always get a fair shake, unless they can show how they complement (vs. threaten) one or more of those companies.
So I guess that’s what I miss, 5 years later: the sense that anything was possible; the sense that anyone could make a difference; the idea that anyone could win this thing.
It’s called growing up.
Posted on: January 19, 2012 at 10:18 am By Todd Defren
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I like the thought of this article. Do I think I’ll be tweeting away in 5 years? I also had the “NFW” thought but then as I continued reading your article and your opinion, I realize I agree. Twitter, Google, and Facebook seem to have a large presence in my life, and much more of a presence than any of the other social media platforms you mentioned. All 3 have such an idea form of advertising and creating money for themselves, all the while giving people what they really want from online goods and social media services. Anyways, happy 5 year anniversary to you and to the rest of the Twitter world!
It is odd to think how old these social media sites are, and how integrated they’ve become in everyone’s life. I think you hit the nail on the head as far as seeing an emergence of a new social media site. The thing about Facebook is that it can be used to log into most websites on the net (even MySpace).
Interesting. I never would have guessed Twitter and others would have been around so long, either… Back in the olden days, I figured MySpace and AOL would remain as popular as ever.
Good thoughts. I’ve often wondered (well, I’ve always assumed) that there has to be some sort of tipping point for the growth of different mediums and platforms. I suppose we haven’t reached that point yet, because if people are still getting on with Google+, there’s clearly room for another social platform. Maybe that isn’t a fair example, because G+ is affiliated with Google itself, but I’ve still been interested by the success of that project. I still think there must be a point where established platforms dominate the attention of most people to the point where new platforms can’t generate a significant following, but maybe not. And, even if I’m right, I imagine we won’t know that tipping point moment has passed until it’s in the rear-view mirror.
Thanks for your thoughts! Just thought I’d point out a minor typo: “These three companies – Facebook, Apple, Twitter and Google – are the titans of this new age; they could well outlast us all” – it should be “four companies” unless Apple was unintentionally included (it wasn’t mentioned earlier in the post).