It is not that there is anything particularly new about twitter - other than it is horribly popular and it has unified two areas of communication and grew them into a social networking platform. We can debate the merits of social networking, but that is secondary to my thesis. Twitter represents (key word - represents) an expansion or development of how we manage information. We are always generating more data. Much of the data can be classified as garbage. In many cases we generate data that we have no idea of how to handle it or what to do with it. There are many devices that generate numerical data that is not transmitted or is contained within closed systems. In response to the vast amounts of data we develop layers and abstractions and filters. Twitter, because of the length limit, is a layer that is reaching deeper into society at a faster rate than ever before. World chatter is now newsworthy. You can quickly and easily broadcast your situation to the world. The more people who experience and share (quickly) creates a ripple in the awareness of those who are receiving the broadcast. It is not real time, but it is getting closer. Text based transmission allows for the analysis of these streams of information better than audio and video (for now). The meta data component may be unavoidable - however it is executed in the future. Of course this concept is not for everyone as there are many issues with that amount of open information, fortunately the service is voluntary.

Layers
We already use a large number of layers for data. As technology has developed, the number of layer options has expanded, as has the speed of the data transmission. There is a sound argument that we should only communicate with the people we can stand in front of, and that used to be a real limitation. Now we can all draw our own lines in the sand as to the number of layers we use to manage our data transmission, but it is really a matter of scale, not right or wrong. Twitter is a "new" layer that is simplified, relatively instant, and can be used with a filter and an aggregator. You can access what you want while still observing trends. I follow only the people that I am interested in, because I do not need a lot of clutter. If I find more interesting people, I can use filters to follow and read when I feel like it. In essence, I control the throttle and the direction.

There is a lot of wisdom out there and the old adage of being who you surround yourself with still stands.

Meta Data
We have been encapsulating data for as long as we have been transmitting it on the internets. Our use of metadata is an important one. Twitter can/does act like a meta-data transmitter - it can encapsulate other data via a pointer at this stage. As our infrastructure and processing power increases we will be able to transmit "more" but user generated meta-data (text) will be an important aspect for sorting and aggregation. Text generation could be automated from audio and video content, voice commands, etc.

Humans like to share. I wish I had posted a picture of this u-haul that I watched get stuck on a telephone pole. I wish I had video. Just because.

Accessibility
Accessibility is something should not be overlooked. The simplicity of 140 characters frees people to share quickly. The easier it is to share lowers the thresh-hold for sharing and (clearly) increases the participation. Volume is not a merit in and of itself, but exposer is. In order for it to become useful, it has to be accessible for enough people that it is adopted. Text messaging is a perfect example. You can choose to not text message, but it reduces your access to a layer of data management. There is a time and place for many levels of communication, but accessibility is what drives adaptation (that generated a flashback to a movie of the same name - good flick). I think an appropriate use of a text message is the car honk outside somebody's house. I can transmit that I am outside and save the time and avoid broadcasting to the entire block I am too lazy to get out of the car. Twitter is accessible and so environments can enter a larger awareness through the act of sharing. In theory - you should only be listening if you desire to hear. Not just Ashton because he asked you to beat CNN with a wet noodle. I like to hear the musings of a number of close friends so they get to stay on my main feed. It rarely gets updated, but I enjoy it nonetheless. Talk with my siblings more because of it.

I rambled a lot about social accessibility, but another important element that is not yet exploited is the accessibility this could provide smart devices. There is a lot of numerical data that can be summarized. If there is a backbone of data transmission that is unified, then devices can issue summaries or layers of data for use by nearly anyone. What would want to broadcast publicly you ask? You can have encrypted and proprietary systems that use standardized communication devices. Again, not that Twitter is the Thing, but the concept of another layer of ubiquitous data transmission represents a step. Do I argue the merits of "more"? No, because I think you have to have filters.

Of course lots/all of this exists in one form or another. Will this mean something new will arise? That is my theory.