Sweet tweet

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Twitter and Facebook are the most popular social networking in the world. And although Facebook comes in at first place, and Twitter comesin second, the latter is simply better. The key word here being, simply. Twitter does one simple thing, and it does it well. It is not about extended discussions and detail, but about quick hits. With a 140 character limit on what you can “tweet,” it forces conciseness, to-the-point statements, and more importantly, it’s a haven for breaking news and quick analysis. But beyond the simplicity of it lies the fact that it is a democratic medium and encourages the concept of citizen journalism. But unlike Facebook, Twitter has, very effectively, managed to flush out the dirty laundry associated with one’s intimate personal lives, one’s friend’s personal lives, their friend’s personal lives and so forth. Facebook has now reached a point of saturation where many people login, not to be socially active online, but inactive—simply to pass time and stalk people they neither know, nor care to really know about. But when one logs in to Twitter, its wham, bam, thank you ma’m; you get in, get what you want, and get out—until the next time you want back in. And what you want can vary—it can be an interest in what you’re friends are up to, what you’re favourite celebs are saying, or an interest in what’s going on in the world, from Syria to Timbuktu.
When it comes to news and journalism, Twitter can put you directly in touch with those that are shaping the news and views—you no longer even have to rely solely on traditional media. It gives you breaking news, often straight from the horse’s mouths. And particularly in Nepal, where journalism is so centralised, it’s become a great medium to find out what’s going on far away from the centre, not just from journalists, but anyone who has access. The great thing is that the journalist’s role can be assumed by any Ram, Sita or Hari. It gives the power to disseminate information and opinion to everyone and is as democratic as news generation can be. But there are constraints, the biggest of which is the digital divide. Internet is less the norm, and more the exception in Nepal. So while Twitter may be a revolutionary’s tool in Egypt, as it is often touted to be, it will be a good time away before Nepal can attribute any kind of movement to Twitter.
That said, as globalisation deepens, and access to the internet grows, we forecast that Twitter will see a surge in popularity among those whohave something, anything, to say. Considering that less than 10 percent of Nepalis have access to the internet, it’s going to take some time for the fruits of social media to materialise. In comparison to Zuckerberg’s Facebook, which has more than one million users in Nepal, Twitter has fewer active users. But the early adapters might just be enough to change the way interact. Like in real life, it’s the quality of interaction that makes them satisfying—and Twitter beats Facebook hands-down as far as intelligence is concerned.