Is Twitter destroying us?

It’s been too long since I last visited this blog. But, I’ve started to tweet!
The explosion of Twitter and the multiple other social networking forums has caught my imagination and the imagination of the thousands who sign up daily for either Facebook or Twitter. It’s the web 2.0 surge - the web now doing what its original designer hoped it would do.
But I guess as I join in – Twitter name GilbertFoster – it’s got me asking some questions of civilization especially western civilization.
In my life time we’ve gone from face to face communication to letter writing, to conversations via telephone, to emails, to then texting to now Twitter – 140 characters (not letters). The whole thing needs to be in the space of 140 characters.

It’s a neat exercise to succinctly put down comments in 140 characters.
I’m a bottom line kind of guy – give me the short version – and even I struggle to get it to 140. It becomes a new way of thinking and communicating.

We live in a society that is so cluttered. Every day hundreds of adverts hit your eyes; every day hundreds of messages cross your mind.
Maybe something as short, brief and summarized as 140 characters will be noticed; will help de-clutter us.

But if Web 2.0 and social networks are to develop new 21st century forms of community – can we really know someone in 140 characters?
Is it really social networking or is that just a myth, a dream …even worse – is it a destruction of civilization.

Think about relationships. Think about what it would look like if we all spoke in 140 characters. In some friendships this might be helpful but in most it would be unhelpful.

Would we ever get to the real person? Would we ever reach the real stuff to talk about?
Just as you get past the usual pleasantries – boom …out of characters.
Maybe you think we’d avoid the pleasantries and just get to the real stuff …but you and I know that doesn’t work in sex, its unlikely going to work in building genuine loving relationships!!

140 character social networking.
Is the issue the limiting number of characters, or is the issue the limiting amount of time?
Are we becoming a nation of fewer words, or is Twitter successful because we are a nation of fewer minutes.

I guess Twitter would never work in Africa.
But maybe Africa’s healthier than America – because of it.

And then what about the Gospel.
Yep – for too long people have shrunk the Gospel down to too few characters. The four spiritual laws; the sinner’s prayer; recite this prayer and you’re in.
Our reduction of the Gospel has damaged the Gospel and distorted God.
Both God and the Gospel are a lot more than 140 characters.
Both God and the Gospel need time, development, following.

A 140 character relationship - will only get you a 140 character worth of God, hope and faith.

So ……is it quit the tweeting and return to the blogging?
Or is it let tweeting do what tweeting can do – and make sure we don’t make it do what it never can do.