Twitter Tracker

I've done my fair share of ripping on the whole Twitter phenomenon - this hardly makes me an individual. I do not tweet and I do not follow anyone and mostly I just feel like a big old timer. I feel like through Facebook and ye olde blog that I'm generally covered in terms of me putting myself out there online and letting everyone else peek in. But then something like this whole Iranian election comes up and then I look like a giant douche in my Twitter naysaying. Of course, it's more than Twitter - it's many different outlets on the internets that are helping people in Iran to organize and to be heard. It's rather incredible. I love that people are sending those in Iran IP addresses and providing other technological support. This is something that obviously wouldn't have happened in the dark ages before the internets - and it's something that is still not happening in other regions that don't have widespread internet access. And now that Iran has given a swift boot to foreign press, the internet is really the only way that their story will be told. So, I guess I could let the long-time Twitter defenders have their moment...but obviously this is not really their moment in light of other events...

I'm still of two minds on this whole social networking business. I mean, I know I'm obviously a huge hypocrite - what with my blog and my general Facebook-ery. Ultimately, though - these things are pretty pointless for the most part. I mean, does any one really care about your status updates or blog entries or whatever opinions/mundane life things you are reporting on? Ummm, probably not, sorry to say [it's a crushing blow to my own raging out of control ego, too]. But then, social networking can be such a powerful tool - so maybe I should forgive all of the douchebags and namedroppers and hipsters. The internet in general is like this - largely useless and frivolous, but then also an important tool of communciation. In all honesty, if it weren't for the seedier aspects of the internet - the porno and whatnot - the technology might not have blown up as it has. But really, I'm feeling ever more insignificant with my petty complaints and occasional victories being splayed out online...I wish I had something more important to report. You can rest assured that if there are any anti-revolutions or justice-crushing scandals in these parts - I will be here to tell you all about it.