Twitter Overkill

In the video above, Miley Cyrus raps about the “reasons” she deleted her Twitter account.  She quotes “privacy” and that she’s “too busy.”  However, if you take a second look, she says that she was incessantly tweeting about a lot of nonsense…which I assume she was.  I don’t know this firsthand because I never followed her.

Twitter is a social networking tool.  What you type into your Twitter updates is completely up to you.  There is no one prying into your life, invading your privacy…its all what you create – its YOUR Twitter after all.

What Miley Cyrus did by posting this video was call herself out.  She joined Twitter to connect to her fans, to let them into her life to make them feel more “connected” to her.  Did she bite off more than she could chew?  Call me crazy but if you don’t want people to know that you’re “braiding [your] hair” Miley, don’t tweet it.

Over the past year or so, Twitter has become increasingly more popular with celebrities endorsing it, companies having their own Twitter handles, even CNN’s newscasters have their own Twitter accounts for you to follow.  As with many social media clients, Twitter can become quite the addiction.

What Miley stresses in her rap is that she was tweeting her entire life – in essence, it became an addiction for her.  I applaud her for putting the gestapo on her addiction and then sharing with the world (albeit in a rap video) how and why she came to tis conclusion.

So how do you really know that you are addicted to Twitter?  After Googling around, many sites poke fun at “Twitter addicts,” but they could be spot on with their diagnosis.  Here’s a few tips from a legit article.

Keep yourself busy
I have notice that people who twitter a lot, either bored or don’t have anything to do. So I would suggest keeping day busy with school, work, errands etc. Set aside time during the day to twitter but then go back to doing what you got to do. If necessary, don’t twitter for a day or two. You will then come to realize that, you can survive without twitter!

Twitter on your cellphone
If you want to avoid or overcome a twitter addiction, than don’t download it to your phone. When I had the twitter application my phone, I twitter all the time. I would twitter while walking, while in class and it just became a distraction. So when you want to twitter, limit it to the computer. That way you wont have it at your fingertips. 

Twitter with a purpose
Twitter is a great way to meet new people and network. It also allows you to get up with your favorite celebrities. So when you are on twitter, twitter with a purpose. Use that time to promote your blog, communicate with someone new etc. Having random conversations, is what you can cause you to spend hours on the computer. 

Twitter Followers
I have notice that on Twitter, a lot of people seem obsessed with having a lot of followers. Don’t fall into this trap! Twitter is not about how many people is following you, its about communication. So stop worrying about who will be your 100th follower, is unnecessary and will just feed your addiction. So have fun and don’t sweat the small stuff.

In the end, Twitter is just one of many aspects of social media.  Incessant tweeting can become an issue (per Miley Cyrus)…keep a hold of yourself.