What if Twitter Died?

Scrolling through my Twitter feed, I had an interesting thought the other day. What if Twitter just didn’t exist anymore?

Given all the recent troubles the company’s been going through, it’s no longer a completely unreasonable scenario.

Yet, for many in the tech industry, I have to imagine that borders on the unthinkable. Not because the practical realities of the business fading aren’t a possibility, but because so much of their lives are caught up in the Twittersphere. For some, it would almost be like losing a leg—or worse. I mean, there are people and, indeed, entire companies whose very existence and value seems to be directly tied to their level of influence on Twitter—and not much else.

To its credit, Twitter has managed to create more than just another social network. The micro-blogging service has morphed into something many people seem to have nearly built their life around. But for all of its attraction and pull, it can also be an incredibly addictive time suck that regularly draws people into minutes (or even hours) of distractions. Sometimes leading to useful discoveries but more often than not, feeling like a waste of time.

To be fair, Twitter is an extremely valuable service for discovering news in real time, finding out what people have to say, and, as a writer, promoting what I and my friends and colleagues have written or participated in to a wider audience.

But nearly ten years in, the service has also become a shouting gallery for “traditional” celebrities and a lot of people in the tech industry who somehow believe Twitter has made them celebrities.

Harsh? Sure. Reality? I think so.

In fact, this seems to be one of the fundamental problems of Twitter. It’s appealing to Hollywood, TV, music and sports celebrities as a means to interact more intimately with their fans and share the kinds of details they’d never provide to traditional celebrity media. It’s appealing to the tech industry as a mouthpiece for those who want to determine the course of what is or isn’t important. The digital taste-setters, so to speak.

But for mainstream business and consumer users? Not so much. Arguably, this is the biggest problem with Twitter—it can’t seem to stretch beyond its celebrity, celebrity follower, and tech roots. If you aren’t into celebrities or the tech industry, Twitter just isn’t that appealing, especially given all the other options for online social interactions.[pullquote]If you aren’t into celebrities or the tech industry, Twitter just isn’t that appealing, especially given all the other options for online social interactions.”[/pullquote]

Despite these points, I think the navel gazing value of Twitter to the tech industry is so high, I seriously doubt they’ll let Twitter actually die. Someone with enough money and enough self-interest will likely make sure that, no matter what, Twitter will continue in some shape or form. Eventually, it’s value may start to fade, as some have already started to argue, but at least the Twittersphere will have a few years to adapt and find new alternatives.

The fundamental challenge is a publishing service that’s essentially based on self-promotion, self-aggrandizement, and self-importance at some point is going to run into the wall of indifference. Not everyone cares to read about what the self-elected are all doing all the time.

Real time publishing, real time interactions, and real time discovery are all incredibly important capabilities, especially in today’s split second society. But there is an increasingly wide range of alternatives for people to leverage and it’s not entirely clear to me that Twitter has all the tools it needs to weather the current climate.

As a reasonably long time, regular user of Twitter, I would be sad to see it go, but that doesn’t mean I can’t imagine life without it. I can and, increasingly, it seems many others are starting to see that potential too.

Published by

Bob O'Donnell

Bob O’Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research, LLC a technology consulting and market research firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community. You can follow him on Twitter @bobodtech.

6 thoughts on “What if Twitter Died?”

  1. Twitter is the trading floor of media: Bunch of coked-up media wannabees trying to get our “follow” via the shrillest, most simplified messages, and where following fast and hanging on tight is the key to success.
    And, same as traders are not economists, twittos aren’t journos nor analysts. DIfferent skillset.

    First twit in my feed:
    Kristen S Anderson
    ‏@KSoltisAnderson
    10h10 hours ago
    Have arrived at friends’ house and we are about to make an important decision: which channel will we watch for Iowa coverage?

    S’ok, you can die.

  2. I’ve never signed up for Twitter so I would barely notice it if it died. It seems important for those living on the edge. My world is more meditative, slower paced. I write papers for conferences that come out once a year. Products in our industry that are a few years old are still considered new. We are very much into high tech; we perform complex simulations, publish ebooks, conduct online meetings and more, but our time frames are much slower than that of the Twitter universe.

  3. No one other than media types and journalists would care. It would have about the same impact as MySpace folding.

  4. The way that Twitter could insure its future is twofold: charge users who use Twitter via computer $4.00 per month.(Phone apps are free.) Start a new enterprise/site which is free to all Twitter users. This new enterprise is the first to socially connect users of VR Biofeedback. Hashtags will evolve into connections for people to challenge one another in VR Bio, and this new social site would be the first to feature member’s immersive thoughts and actions. Someone is gonna do it. It might as well be Twitter.

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