Twitter finds a presence on campus
By Juliana Gabrovsky
Jan. 20, 2009 12:16 a.m.
UCLA is beginning to Twitter.
On campus, the BruinAlert system, the Daily Bruin, the UCLA newsroom and several student clubs all recently began their own Twitter feed.
The new social networking Web site is similar to limiting blogging as it allows users to post what they are doing in a maximum of 140 characters. Senders can restrict the delivery of updates to those in their circle of friends and family, who can “follow” their feed to get updates on daily activities.
Even President Barack Obama, Britney Spears and Lance Armstrong have started “tweeting.”
Local governments, news stations and emergency management centers now have their own Twitter feeds too.
In fact, some of the first pictures of Thursday’s Hudson River plane crash were put up on Twitter by users that had witnessed the crash, according to various news reports.
The UCLA Emergency Center began researching the idea of utilizing Twitter after UCLA student Sarah Cohen suggested the popular networking source as an additional medium for BruinAlert, said David Burns, the Certified Emergency Manager for UCLA.
It took the Emergency Center approximately six months to evaluate Twitter as a resource.
“It was necessary to go in cautiously to make sure it would be a safe and effective medium in emergency situations,” Burns said.
While joining Twitter in an effort to engage students, Burns said they hoped it would also be a way to reach out to parents and family members of UCLA students.
“Only affiliated students, faculty and staff can follow the BruinAlert text messaging, so Twitter is a way for parents to feel connected and informed,” Burns said.
Just a few weeks after launching a Twitter feed, BruinAlert has gained around 50 followers. Burns said he hopes this number will increase significantly as the word gets out.
In early 2008, Twitter had around 500,000 users. It has now grown to over 4 million, Burns said.
Still, many UCLA students seem unacquainted with Twitter.
In a random survey of 60 UCLA students on campus, only four had actually heard of Twitter. Of those four students, only one had actually tried using the Web site, eventually deciding he did not like it.
“I tried using it but it was completely pointless. I already have that kind of stuff on Facebook. I feel like it’s a fad that’s probably going to taper off pretty soon,” said Ryan Good, a fourth-year global studies student.
Many students expressed that they felt it was too much information.
On Twitter’s Web site, a video explains Twitter through “Carla,” an animated character who learns to use the Web site to stay connected with her family. Carla seems to represent the average tech-savvy youth.
These days, youth culture seems synonymous with social networking technology. For entrepreneurs, this could prove to be an unlimited source of clientele.
“Meet Carla,” the video says. “She’s addicted to her mobile phone, reads blogs everyday and has contacts all over the world.”
A Stanford University survey conducted in 2006 found that at least one in eight Americans show signs of Internet addiction.
“Of course, we have e-mail and blogs and phones to keep us connected, but you wouldn’t send an e-mail to a friend to tell them you’re having coffee,” the video’s narrator continues.
“Your friend doesn’t need to know that.”
While this might seem to subvert Twitter’s own marketing efforts, with the emergence of Twitter, there finally might be a place to write about … well, nothing.
On the other hand, UCLA’s
BruinAlert system as well as businesses, have found their own unique uses for Twitter that go beyond chatter.
While some complain of too much information, still others argue that excessive Internet use could lessen social interaction.
The Stanford study found that “the more hours people use the Internet, the less time they spend with real human beings,” according to Stanford Professor of Political Science Norman Nie.
“The little messages from Twitter painted a picture of (Carla’s) friends, family and coworkers that she had never seen before. It was the real world,” the Twitter video narrator said.
