I don’t quite get Twitter. Perhaps it’s because I’m old and uncool. Perhaps it’s because I can’t say anything worthwhile in 140 characters or less. (Though, quite honestly, a few more characters wouldn’t help that problem much.) For me, though, Twitter just never made that much sense.
Maybe I should change my tweeting tune, though. Twitter has become an indespensible tool for journalists, eager to get some “on-the-ground” perspective during major news stories. Celebrities constantly break entertainment “news” in their Twitter accounts. And now, it seems the micro-blogging network is helping ordinary folks like us, too.
According to ABC News’ Ki Mae Heussner, Twitter has become, for some, a sort of digital confessional booth. We’re not talking full-blown sins, here, according to ABC: Those sorts of confessions would likely require a greater level of relationship between the tweeter and the tweeted than Twitter typically provides. But people are (in the words of ABC’s online article) “turning to Twitter to shed pounds, quit smoking or reduce spending” and “helping people find the motivation–be it from shame, support or accountability–to overcome vices and change their habits.” Scarf down an extra stick of butter for dinner? ‘Fess up on Twitter, Heussner suggests, and you’ll feel better.
Hey, it makes sense. We all know communal accountability can affect change in really positive ways. And perhaps if I tweeted, I’d be less apt to eat that 2 p.m. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (Mmmmmmm) and watch my waistline steadily expand by 4.
Still, I don’t think I’m going to be joining the tweeting masses anytime soon … unless someone convinces me otherwise. What about you? Do you use Twitter? Are you proud of it? Are you healthier because of it?
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