How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live

I chose to discuss the article “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live” by Steven Johnson. I chose this article because I have a fascination with the intricacies of social networking websites. My husband and I are in the process of developing a business that will, ultimately, benefit off this new phenomenon. I wasn’t fond of the author’s style of writing, but he discussed many interesting Twitter factoids, which I was unaware of.

In a nutshell, the article discusses the general use of Twitter, as well as its progression over the years. Twitter has grown significantly, but not solely due to its own accord. The growth stems from everyday users, and outside companies, creating extension programs and systems that alter the original intended use. The author’s primary focus was based on the effect the users have had on the Twitter system.

One of the rhetorical strategies the author uses in this article is analogy. He demonstrates the relationship between the growth of Twitter and its users’ influence. “It’s like inventing a toaster oven and then looking around a year later and seeing that your customers have of their own accord figured out a way to turn it into a microwave.” This showcases the dramatic difference between what Twitter was created to be, and what people have caused it to transition into.

Through these changes, Twitter has proven to be an extremely useful tool for both personal and business use. Due to the fact that information is now readily available in “super fresh” web speeds, communities can be brought together in a crisis instantly. People can track the swine flu, catch the latest information on uprisings in Iran, discuss exciting sports moves, and find out about their favorite celebrity’s night instantaneously. This immediate feedback and connection will forever change us as a culture.

The author points out the obvious – websites are short lived in relation to technology, so Twitter will, most likely, cease to exist one day. The bottom line, however, is that its benefits will forever be an integrated and expected part of our society. It has forever changed communication.

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The only question I can think of regarding rhetorical analysis is – how do you know when something that may appear to be a strategy, isn’t really a strategy at all? Are there instances where something is purely coincidental? Alliteration comes to mind – sometimes it seemed far-reached to assume the author had a string of similar sounding words for the purpose of strategy.