Why I Don't Tweet!

First, let me say that I have nothing at all against people who do tweet. I am happy to let them tweet to their hearts content. Some of my Best friends tweet, (just not to me). Secondly let me say that I have nothing at all against technology, Including Computer technology. I've used a computer now for almost 20 years and can't imagine living without it.

But I have not, do not and will not tweet. I do so, I expect for the same reason I do not text and do not glue a cell phone to the side of my head. One reason is because I do not do these are because I value and love the language. I love both the English Language and language in general. The very concept is fascinating.

. The principal selling point of Twitter is its brevity. It by its very nature imposes limit on thought. It's not that one can't express oneself in few words, haiku for example. But the limitation of twitter values efficiency of Communication more the quality. Most trends in Technology have done this. Email has led to a lack of reflection about what one says, as opposed to writing a letter. Text messaging has dumbed down our vocabulary, and now we have twitter.

It reminds me all too much of newspeak in 1984. The party's goal was to so strip down communication that it would be impossible to express disloyal thoughts. With twitter, adjectives, adverbs and big words are things to be avoided. The Comedian Seamus Kennedy once did a routine called the "Three Minute Hamlet" in which the whole play was reduced to less than three minutes. It certainly was shorter but no one would argue it is better.

Does Twitter show us our future? A future of an ever shrinking language stripped of its color and its beauty?  I pray not.

the three minute Hamlet; incidentally I think Gibsons Hamlet , the film at least was better than Branagh, Mainly because of Bonham Carter as Ophelia and Ian Holms Polonius and no one beats
Schofield, (except maybe Michael Hordern).