How Twitter Has Streamlined Communication While Enhancing Creativity

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By: Kevin Weaver

Twitter was one of the first applications to put a limit on content posted by its users. As you may already know, the 140-character limitation can be quite cumbersome and frustrating. Back in 2006 when Twitter first came out, users found this to be a big problem. How can you possibly say something or get your message across in 140 characters or less? There is no possible way that businesses could stand to gain anything from this. Fast-forward to 2013 and Twitter is a household name. You can't watch a TV show, a commercial, or a sporting event without some reference to the social networking service. We are constantly being prompted to follow this, retweet that, or use a particular hashtag.

How did Twitter establish itself as a mainstay in our society? One word — brevity. Brevity sparks creativity. A 140-character restriction forces brands to think outside the box and cut straight to the meat of their message. With consumers constantly being bombarded with ads and news from so many different sources, it's important to have a message that is short, to the point, and memorable. Our society is moving faster than ever. If your content is more than 140 characters, it will most likely get passed over. Essentially our perception of what is "too long" or "too short" has drastically changed in under a decade.

What's even more impressive is how Twitter has changed how employers look for candidates for their open positions. At SXSW a couple weeks ago, Pizza Hut held interviews for their Social Media Manager of Greatness position. So what? The kicker was that the interviews only lasted 140 seconds. The ability to display one's value and skill set in 140 seconds is exactly what Pizza Hut was looking for in their candidates.

Interviews like this and Twitterviews, interviews that take place on Twitter, will become more prevalent. If someone is going to sell your brand's image in 30-second increments, approximately the time it takes someone to read a post, they should be able to sell themselves in the same amount of time. Many employers aren't even looking at resumes anymore. The Internet and what you choose to do on it is your resume. Twitter is the platform in which you can showcase your work.

If Facebook changed the way we communicate and access information, then Twitter streamlined it. The window of opportunity to share content is shrinking. Newer apps offer even more rigid restrictions when it comes to posting content. Vine only lets you create videos up to six seconds and Snapchat, while still useless in my opinion, allows you to view a picture for up to ten seconds, once! As Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it." Mr. Bueller was right. Life does move fast, but Twitter moves even faster. The question is, can you keep up?

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About the Author

Kevin Weaver is a marketing professional in Wichita, KS with two years of experience. Past and present work includes email marketing compaigns, client e-store development, social media, and destination marketing.

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