SPREAD THE LOVE!
27.02.09
I am so unbelievably tired of hearing about Twitter and the broadcasting of the inane minutia of people’s lives. But it didn’t really bother me until I realized that I can’t listen to the news anymore without hearing someone’s idiotic opinion (-er tweet) broadcast as if they have any idea what they’re talking about. Then I started hearing about politicians picking this up as a way to “connect” with regular people, when all it really amounts to is time wasting propaganda and nonsense. I can not wait until Twitter goes the way of the slap bracelet and they’re talking about it on VH1’s “I love the 2000’s”. Wait, is that what it’s called? The 2000’s? Hold on, let me tweet that and see what my idiot friends think.
Click the pic to download the PDF and spread my love for all things Twitter.
Tags: Twitter
Category: Misc.
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ShareSomeCandy 
Always fantastic – 
Let me post a tweet about this. hahaha
February 27, 11:56 am Anthony HullHaha. Anthony you know I’d peep your tweets.
February 27, 12:15 pm Josh HollandI just stepped on a little baby bird. It was in the grass. I think it was a Robin. I think it’s dead.
February 27, 12:46 pm Todd BergerTodd!! I actually did that once upon a time, walking to the library on a cold winter day…I slipped on it
February 27, 2:04 pm CelesteI actually did too. Felt so bad
February 27, 2:52 pm Todd BergerYou people make me sick…
February 27, 4:30 pm KevinWhich people? The people posting information nobody wants or me? I’m just throwing it out there. No offense to anyone who uses the app, but it seems that our culture is eroding at an alarming rate. Kinda freaks me out.
February 27, 7:31 pm Josh HollandWHHAAAAAA! That shit cracked me the fuck up. Ain’t gonna lie!
February 27, 9:43 pm Scot LefavorI do find it offensive..because as superficial as it is, yes, it helps small businesses like mine to get the word out for events, sales whatever that may be going on. Best thing ever, it’s FREE because God knows we can not afford to pay for an ad in a newspaper or magazine. It also reminds people not to forget about us. For example, for our last Block Party a main stream radio station DJ was following us on TWITTER, read about the Block Party and he asked if he can come and set up and DJ and broadcast Live on block! We had a few hundred people through out the night! The Shoppe had a line out the door for 5 straight hours.We made the most money we have ever made since we have opened! (Let’s just say rent x4) People I have never seen before now regulars customers who have come weekly! And I thank TWITTER for that. That is why we use it… So I am a TWITTER LOVER ! Hate or LOVE IT is an awesome application that help people like me to use to help us succeed and grow.
February 28, 10:57 am Tran WillsBTW I will be TWITTERing this and you can follow me and know about what time I go to sleep here http://twitter.com/tranwills.
Tran, I love you guys and your shops and you should absolutely use social networking to get bodies in the door and free ad space. I got a few angry responses from this in private, where my user friends were all explaining the amazing virtues of Twitter to me ad nauseam, so let me elaborate.
My criticism of Twitter is not of everyone who uses it, or has found a way to make it useful, it’s of the inherent shallowness and disingenuous nature of the platform itself. I find that social networking platforms are perpetuating a sense of false self-importance to the masses and becoming a major distraction to our culture. The internet is the greatest tool mankind has ever had at it’s disposal, but we use it to waste time, insulate ourselves from opposing views, and promote propaganda about ourselves and others.
To be fair, having CNN on all day at work has been the biggest catalyst of my hatred. Their name dropping of the word Twitter has embedded the word into the American lexicon overnight, and given the app a level of importance to their programming that is troubling. They pick the most inane Twitter comments to read on television, giving Twitter users an advantage in getting their ideas on TV and they paint it as true democracy. This is not true democracy. I’ve attempted to comment on news sites, and I’d say 80% of my comments are deleted (despite being well-written and clean of offensive content). Then I wonder why I even want my comments out there, and it seems like masterbation to see your ideas on a page and to feel good about yelling at someone with differing views. This false sense of democracy through self-important and often uneducated commentary is very frightening to me.
I really made this PDF image to make other think about what information they broadcast to the world, and how important fads like this really are. If I made ten people question how they spend their time, it was well worth it to me! I could obviously type all day about this, but here are a few more things to consider:
-Bottlenecking commentary and detailed personal information through a single unprotected source is a bad thing.
-Social networking costs American businesses untold money in lost productivity.
- With a 140 character limit, we couldn’t have this intelligent discourse through Twitter.
- The word Twitter is stupid, and I hate saying it.
February 28, 12:25 pm Josh HollandI see both sides of this one. I’m a wordy guy and I don’t want a 140-character limit on my thoughts. That said, we have a plug-in on ToyCyte that automatically “tweets” our headlines to our Twitter followers. Those with smartphones can click over and get the latest news. I think that’s pretty cool. But you don’t see me yet “tweeting” what I just bought on eBay to everybody.
My gripe is obviously the more inane uses of Twitter. But newly, a lot of artists are moving from blogging to Twittering. It’s just another thing to follow, and IMO, I *like* reading the thoughts of an artist in a fully formed paragraph. Blogs are wonderful b/c you can link all these other facets of social networking through them and still use an RSS feeder to keep up. Yes, I know I can RSS tweets. Yes, I hate myself for saying that sentence.
March 2, 12:13 pm JeremyThanks for the thoughtful responses Tran and Jeremy. I’m happy to open up some dialogue on this subject. Like I said, nothing against Twitter users. I’m just commenting on fads and the way we communicate with one another. People with businesses and websites absolutely need to go where the most people are, and should take advantage of such things. The criticism is of the platform and of tech fads, not of smart people like you.
March 2, 12:43 pm Josh HollandI think you have an awesome point Jeremy… I really can’t stand the concept that people will rely on something like Twitter entirely. There is definitely a time and place for it, just like updating your little FB status thing. I also really fucking hate people that use their Twitter to tell me they made a new blog post.
I don’t think that there is really any pretense to the app itself and the users are def in control of the outcome or quality of info being shared. I think its best for “I just saw this on my drive to work” or “Im at the show and its wack, don’t come”
Tran also has some valid points about promotion…
I think Josh has his head in the right spot about soul sucking too…
Overall, it’s up to us as users to shape it and provide the valuable content. If its shit, its ultimately our fault.
Yeh! I like conversations!
March 3, 8:04 am Lifter BaronAs always, John Stewart says it best. This is from last night. I think the same thing pissed us both off.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219519&title=twitter-frenzy
March 3, 8:44 am Josh HollandLet’s rephrase this apropos to say, two years ago:
“I am so unbelievably tired of hearing about blogging and the broadcasting of the inane minutia of people’s lives. But it didn’t really bother me until I realized that I can’t listen to the news anymore without hearing someone’s idiotic opinion (-er blog) broadcast as if they have any idea what they’re talking about. Then I started hearing about politicians picking this up as a way to “connect” with regular people, when all it really amounts to is time wasting propaganda and nonsense. I can not wait until blogging goes the way of the slap bracelet and they’re talking about it on VH1’s “I love the 2000’s”. Wait, is that what it’s called? The 2000’s? Hold on, let me blog that and see what my idiot friends think. Click the pic to download the PDF and spread my love for all things blogging. ”
lol
March 4, 6:27 am KathleenKind of an odd stance to take against a mass communication tool when the tagline of your own website is “cuz sharing is cool”
March 4, 8:34 am JeffreyHaha. Yep, I’m like a crotchety old man the world has left behind. I get to be known as the guy who hates Twitter, and once they take over the world I get to be known as the hypocrite who used to talk major smack about Twitter.
Jeffrey, I didn’t approve that tagline
March 4, 8:45 am Josh HollandThank you!
March 6, 10:32 am justin[...] מתוך:http://www.joyengine.com/misc/spread-the-love/ [...]
March 8, 5:29 am Hell yes ב Direct Brand NetworkingSo what is twitter anyway?
March 8, 3:24 pm KaneI saw this logo @ joshspear…. didn’t even have to read the article to know I felt the same way….. Ay J, do you mind if i make a Tshirt out of this
or at least something like it…… thought I’d ask you, didn’t want to str8 jack it you know
Joyengine.com is one of my spots now….. dat on the real.
B
May 7, 6:13 am brianGo for it Brian
May 7, 7:37 am Josh Holland