Tweetaholic

            Admittedly, I was very skeptical when I first heard about Twitter.  At the same time, though, I was curious. I wanted to know what so many people could possibly find fascinating about learning their friend went to the mall, or some celebrity they will never know is about to go eat pizza.  So, after being told countless times that I "needed" a Twitter account, I decided to cave and make one.  I must say, right after making my account, I immediately joined ranks with countless others claiming to be addicted.  Reading that Spencer Youngman, a senior at Wyoming Seminary, is watching a Syracuse basketball game, or that Khloe Kardashian is on a plane to New York City has become a part of my everyday life.  I even downloaded the Twitter app on my iPhone, which is probably the most used application I have.
            Ironically enough, as much as I love reading the tweets of others, I have only ever posted under ten tweets, since I find it hard to believe that others will find what I have to say to be fascinating.  I am still unsure of how I feel about posting tweets myself; however, I am quite content with simply reading the tweets of others for the time being. 
            After admitting my fascination with Twitter, I have heard many people joke that all Twitter is good for is stalking the lives of others.  However, in June of 2009, Time magazine provided an explanation for why so many find learning a person is going for a run is interesting. The article's title, by Robyn Twomey, claims that "Twitter Will Change the Way We Live."  Twomey writes, "And yet as millions of devotees have discovered, Twitter turns out to have unsuspected depth. In part this is because hearing about what your friends had for breakfast is actually more interesting than it sounds. The technology writer Clive Thompson calls this 'ambient awareness': by following these quick, abbreviated status reports from members of your extended social network, you get a strangely satisfying glimpse of their daily routines.  We don't think it at all moronic to start a phone call with a friend by asking how her day is going. Twitter gives you the same information without your even having to ask."   Read the whole article here.
            This well planned and clearly stated assertion turns the "stalking" aspect of Twitter into something much more socially acceptable.  Yet, even if you still are the type of person who does not care about these updates in the lives of others, Twitter serves a wide variety of purposes, from reading about election results at amazing speeds to finding out the score of the Phillies game as it is happening.  Regardless of what you hope to get out of Twitter, I believe it is possible for all people to find something about this website that appeals to them. 

Above are the results of a survey done by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.  The survey began November 3, 2010, and ran for 21 days.  It shows how often Twitter users check for material posted by others.  The results help show that, for the most part, Twitter addicts are not alone.