Twitter more hype than substance?

A new Harvard study posits the theory that Twitter is more hype than substance. This is despite the considerable news coverage the micro-blogging service has received over the past few months, more than 10 million users and a growth rate faster than that of any other network.

The study surveyed 300,000 users and found that 10% of Twitter users generated 90% of the content. More than half of users updated their page less than once every 74 days and a significant proportion of users only ever tweet once. To put usage of Twitter in perspective, Facebook has 200 million active users and continues to grow at a robust rate, albeit not at the stratospheric rate of Twitter.

The conclusions drawn are that majority of users use Twitter passively to receive information. “Twitter is a broadcast medium rather than an intimate conversation with friends,” said Bill Heil, a graduate from Harvard Business School who carried out the study.

It remains to be seen how Twitter will develop as it matures but certainly there are some interesting considerations here for marketers assessing how best to use the channel.

For more information visit https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8089508.stm and https://www.hbs.edu/