The Revolution Will NOT Be Tweeted

No, really.  Twitter has to be the stupidest invention yet.  It's like every technological "advance" that is developed is just another step in the downfall of civilization.  I realize that this position only confirms the fact that I'm an old, garrulous fuck, but if you can say everything that you need to say in 140 characters or less, perhaps it's better that you not say anything at all.

Reminds me of a Lincoln quote that I love - better to be silent and have people think you are an idiot than to speak (or tweet) and remove all doubt.

Now, I know that I tend to be a bit verbose and over analytical and so clearly I may be biased against this whole Twitter thing, but really?  I suppose there are a few arguments for the less-is-more crowd; I appreciate haiku as much as the next guy; I hear that what's not said can be as beautiful as what is.  But Twitter is a mass-media phenomenon; the antithesis of less-is-more.

Really, the only thing that I see a parallel with is advertising.  Essentially, Twitter turns us all into advertisers via our own personal consumption- we only have time to say: "Check out this cool thing I'm doing/reading/buying/eating, etc. - you should be doing it too!"  Especially for the Twitter feeds that masses of people follow - the celebrity feeds.

And so, fearless reader, instead of people actually participating in a genuine democracy where they are empowered by ideas (ie - the revolution), our lives are dominated by the logic of the marketplace - an ultimately dehumanizing experience.