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Mainstream Media Finally Catching on to Twitter

by Terrence O'Brien on March 3, 2009 at 03:18 PM


Looks like it's time for us to let the rest of the world catch up a bit. We've been talking about Twitter for quite some time, and the geekier among you have also been reveling in its potential for inanity. But, with a few notable exceptions (CNN's Rick Sanchez among them), the mainstream media is just now learning to embrace the micro-blogging service.

But journalists aren't just joining Twitter; they're also writing about it and explaining it to those who might not be in the know. Articles about Twitter have exploded recently (just do a Google news search). One of our own bloggers here at Switched even lent his expertise to the Staten Island Advance to help explain Twitter and its many perks and pitfalls.

Small local papers aren't the only ones late to the Twitter party, though. Major TV outlets are only now starting to really explore the subject. As reported, 'The View' and Barbara Walters explained the service to their day-time audience only days after Charlie Rose sat down with Twitter co-founder Evan Williams to discuss the service. Williams compared the current state of Twitter to the early days of blogging, when it was still a misunderstood, niche service. He went on to say, however, he believes that, within five years, Tweeting will just be an accepted part of life and everyone will be doing it.

Of course, the real sign that Twitter has become a social force to be reckoned with is that it has now been featured, and parodied, on 'The Daily Show.' Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee spend a little over five minutes attempting to explain, and poking fun at, our favorite 140-character communication tool (video above).

We don't want to be left out in the dark on this major media trend... even if we have been covering the service pretty regularly since our launch. As we've explained before, Twitter lets you share 140-character messages using both a Web site and text messaging. It's less intrusive than a direct text message, but more interactive and personal than a Facebook or MySpace status update.

One of the best things about Twitter, though, is its simplicity. In a social networking world filled with embedded music players, 25 random things surveys, and applications promising free hamburgers, Twitter is refreshingly devoid of clutter. Just text, a single profile pic, and nothing else. That simplicity, combined with its immediacy, make it an attractive way to share random thoughts, keep up with friends, and find out about breaking news.

And, speaking of Twitter, don't forget to follow Switched for links to things we find interesting around the web and for other random thoughts on tech. [From: VentureBeat and TechCrunch]

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Tags: charlie rose, CharlieRose, daily show, DailyShow, media, microblogging, social networking, SocialNetworking, the daily show, TheDailyShow, trends, twitter

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