Rant all you want. I don't care if you don't get it, and you obviously don't.
Join a club, get out and met some real people, go surfing, join a bike club, learn to fly, do something, FFS!
Meet some real people?
My use of Twitter has allowed me to have 2 way communication with my state senator, with someone I admire in the eLearning world, communicate with colleagues I have met at various web development and eLearning conferences, and stay informed.
News breaks faster on Twitter than any other information channel. If you don't care about news that's fine. Brusfires in California? Check. First video of crash landing plane in the Hudson? Check. Recent earthquake felt across Europe? Check.
Many public service / enforcement organizations across the US are looking into the viability of Twitter as a communication means. In Maine, many services from the Forestry Dept. to the local volunteer fire depts, game wardens, state troopers, still have poor intercommunication means. A closed Twitter loop is being looked at to send messages to all that need to be informed of a particular event. It's cheap. You just need a server connected to the internet, and you can run a secure communication network without expensive interconnected communication systems.
At work, I work for a semiconductor manufacturer, we are looking at connecting Twitter to our automation systems. All of our really expensive machines know their status but now it takes a person to look at that machine (usually our one armed robots which are in the photolithography area) to determine if it is operating within specification. We look quite often, but if the machine senses something that isn't too far out of spec to warrant a shut down (which it does) but isn't perfect either, it could Twitter a message to the floor technician's Black Berry.
At its root it is a communication system limited to 140 characters which has full smart phone integration.
People use it as a social communication medium. If you hate your cell phone fine by me. If you hate communication that isn't person to person fine as well.
Don't insult people that enjoy communicating in a variety of ways, and with emerging technical platforms. Your equation of the use of Twitter with being a shut in recluse is stupid and ignorant. I also have a very demanding work and home life with 2 young kids. I can't fly across the country to talk to a mentor in my field, but I can go on line and communicate in many ways. At lunch when its warm enough, I get on my bike and ride.
Twitter, the Internet, Cellphones, and the freaking wire service are communication services for !)(*&@#(*^&$ sake. The hype is excitement over their possibilities.
