Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that allows users to post short messages called tweets that are limited to 140 characters. It was created in 2006 and currently has over 175 million users who post around 800,000 tweets per day. Users can follow other users and companies to receive their tweets and can also mention or reply to other users by adding the @ symbol before their username. While some research has found that social media like Twitter can help facilitate both weak and strong social relationships both online and offline, it also has the potential to negatively impact real-world social skills if overused in place of in-person interactions. The overall effects of Twitter on social relationships depends on how each individual user engages with the platform.

1. The Internet and Social Relationships

2. History created by Jack Dorsey in march 2006 Older adults on their first networking site Originally created for use by businesses Currently- 175 million users, 65 million tweets, 800,000 search queries/day

3. Accessed online, through compatible phones, or SMS (short message service) now multilingual and available worldwide

4. What is twitter? Privately run online social networking and “micro-blogging” service 140 character limit “tweets”

5. Use For brief instant updates on thoughts and activities “follow” people, and others can follow you

7. follow companies or groups, like Facebook fan pages

9. Features hashtags (words or phrases prefixed with a #) allow searches the letter d followed by a username allows private messages @ sign followed by a username mentions or replies to others “twitter lists”- allows users to follow/mention/reply to multiple people

10. Features

11. Type of Social Network Asymmetric or one way relationship Leads to large input by few More flexible

12. Online Network Relationships On average, people follow less than 100 people Asymmetric follow means people have less back and forth contact Small number of “friends” with two way contact- average of 13 Likely to have these relationships with real-life friends Small, well connected groups

13. Online Network Relationships More followers means more activity and vice versa, up to a point 10% produce 90% activity Goes along with real- life interactions

14. Impact on Professional Relationships Backchannels Live feed tweets that a presenter utilizes Direct feedback as it’s happening Can be positive for focus, or negative for distraction

15. Positive Impact on Real Life Relationships Shield of internet may facilitate relationships outside of the internet May help socially awkward keep up with peers, like a “leveling” of the social playing field Facilitates learning of how people behave and interact Quick communication may increase social relationships with others Keeps people in touch when they cannot physically see each other

16. Positive Impacts on Real Life Relationships Can offer insight to different cultures May become familiar with a certain area of choice quickly by reading discussions on topics Lack of face to face content means appearance matters less, and what they have to say matters more

17. Negative Impacts on Real Life Relationships Can hurt work relationships with inappropriate comments Less social life outside of online Easy to see what other people are doing without actually making contact Lose verbal and non verbal skills of communication in real-world interactions

18. Overall Effects No true answer to whether it is positive or negative Can just as easily get lost in it as use it to improve your social life May have no effects Depends on how you use it