Recently, I’ve started to wonder how we can possibly ingest the fire hose of information that comes at us every day.
The obvious answer is that we can’t.
Brits know it, tweens know it, experts know it. And yet… on it comes, leading one to either eliminate it - unsubscribe to an email newsletter, sign off Facebook, stop watching Real Housewives of New Jersey (oops, sorry - that’s mine) - or somehow filter out what we don’t want.
Some call this phenomenon the ”attention economy.”
In the attention economy, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that finite amount of attention over a rising level of noise. In other words, it becomes increasingly important to make choices, to become more discriminating, to understand the value of our thoughts and our time. So while I may watch reality TV because I like it, it would never dawn on me to voluntarily invite a continuous information stream into my skull that I neither want nor need. I recently wrote a post on this topic as it pertains to Twitter, arguably the Web’s newest, most popular time suck.
Well here’s another upside-down concept from the Twuniverse: Twitter Karma. If you’re not on Twitter, you don’t have a clue what this would be. But if you are, you may know what’s coming…On Twitter, you follow people whose thoughts interest you, and others may follow you for the same reason. Twitter Karma refers to those whom you follow who do not follow you back. This means that you’ve elected to see every tweet of theirs and they have not reciprocated. Some people find this to be rude: so rude, in fact that they unfollow individuals who – after a respectable amount of time – didn’t follow them back.
Wait - what? This is a problem? Did I go to sleep and wake up back in the 3rd grade?
We’re grown-ups. Each of us has her own unique interests, profession and curiosities. Each of us has goals of expanding his or her knowledge in different directions. So if I follow you on Twitter because you have a point of view I find valuable, why would I expect you to reciprocate (and consider it a compliment) if you don’t need what I have to say? Maybe someday you’ll be interested… but not now. I do not take offense, but make no mistake: I’m supposed to. By implication, those who do not reciprocate are ingrates and creeps.
Twitter karma feels precisely like one of those mean little games children play. Move on.
Look, here’s my point of view: if you’re on Twitter, chances are you’re a reasonably confident person who has something to say. I doubt you need or want an insincere slap on the back from someone who felt pressured to offer it. This is the only life we get, people. You only have so many brain cells: use them wisely. Be choosy. Mandatory school books or work stuff aside… take in the information you need and want. Leave the rest. By doing so, we not only grow… but maybe we do increase the likelihood that we’ll have something to say that others will want to “follow.”
But, hey. If you’re squeamish about unfollowing a “mean girl” (or guy) on Twitter, sort folks on TweetDeck. It’ll change your Twexistence.
Twitter karma. Ever heard of it? It dictates that I follow everyone who chooses to follow me. But why?
July 17, 2009 | In Media & Internet
Discuss
Laura Corogenes on July 17, 2009, 8:31 PM
One of the things I like about Twitter is I can get on, quickly check up on a couple of people who’s writing I find enlightening or entertaining, get a couple of ideas of blog posts or news stories I know I will be interested in, because they are recommended by someone I chose to follow on Twitter, and get off. Five minutes tops, a couple of times a day. It’s perfect. If the people I follow don’t choose to follow me, who cares. They are using Twitter for their own reasons. Just because their posts fit my appetite is no reason to assume my posts will fit theirs.
It’s irrational I know, but what bugs me about Twitter are the followers you collect based on certain key words. I mentioned Australia once in passing on a posted tweet. The next thing I know, 6 people from down under are following me. If they want to follow me, even though I may never mention Australia again, it’s their choice. But, why would I bother following them?
My posts never follow a theme, they tend to be whatever meaningless drivel is floating through my mind at the moment. I don’t expect it to be of much interest to most people. I think your life must be pretty dull if you are willing to follow me. So if I only followed those that followed me, how much fun would that be?
jagannath rao adukuri on July 19, 2009, 6:28 AM
Well,we all began reciprocating to our followers but with experience have started realizing that many of the followers have nothing much to say and neither of us is likely to gain anything in the process. I now sift them carefully by looking at their tweets and return the follows only when I am convinced that the follower has the potential to say something that will be of interest to me.
What should be the following/followers ratio ? If more people follow you and you follow less number,it does not necessarily mean that you are uncivil or intellectually arrogant .Perhaps you are more careful in deciding whom to follow because ultimately it is not civility taht matters but the usefulness of the follow. Assuming that roughly 60% of the followers are not serious twitterers and at least 20 to 30% are "I have just eaten my breakfast /I am feeling sleepy " kind ,it is safe to assume that 10 to 20% could be looked at as a safe bet .
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