Twitter’s 140-character text-based messages, or ‘Twitter-speak’, permeate everyday life. But questions about its influence are being asked — by parents, relationship partners, teachers and employers. Is Twitter reinventing social communication or just abbreviating it? Do tweets create meaningful conversations or dumb down our abilities to write and communicate effectively, and respectfully, with one another? Twitter was conceived on a playground slide during a burrito-fuelled brainstorming session by employees of podcasting company Odeo. Co-founder Jack Dorsey, now Twitter’s CEO, suggested the idea of using short, SMS-like messages to connect with a small group. ‘[W]e came across the word twitter, and it was just perfect,’ Dorsey said. ‘The definition was “a short burst of inconsequential information” and “chirps from birds.” And that’s exactly what the product was.’

Dorsey, also CEO and founder of Square, a mobile payments company, developed a working prototype based on an instant messaging platform. It was first used internally by Odeo employees, but was refined and released to the public. Within three months and sensing the magnitude of the invention, Dorsey and other members of Odeo, including product strategist Evan Williams and creative director Biz Stone, acquired Odeo and picked up Twitter.com in the process.

QUESTIONS

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of communicating via Twitter? Can a 140-character tweet really be effective? What guidelines would you recommend for maximising the effectiveness of a tweet?

2. Choose a national brand or entertainment personality and discuss how the use of Twitter has helped to create a following and desired brand image. How about a university course? How could a lecturer use Twitter to improve the in-class or online learning experience? Is Twitter more appropriate for the national brand and entertainment personality than for an academic instructor? Why or why not?

3. You’ve been given a first assignment as the new intern in the office of a corporate CEO. The task is to analyse Twitter and make a presentation to the CEO and her executive team recommending whether or not it should be used for corporate purposes. What points will you make in the presentation to summarise its potential uses, possible downsides and overall strategic value to the firm?

4. Research current developments with Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council. What are the actions the council is taking to combat abuse? Has this resulted in decreased levels of trolling on the platform?