Why people use twitter

8/7/2019 Why people use twitter

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Candidate number: M23059

Reasons for using Twitter

The aim of this essay is to determine the reasons for people using Twitter. In order to do this I

will set up an account on Twitter and will follow different types of consumers in order to

identify similar patterns of behaviour specifically to see if there are any common groundsbehind it.

Initially Twitter was created in order to merge a small group of individuals so that they couldcontact each other through messages similar to sms only via the internet. It is only four years

old but has already become a very popular social network engine. In the beginning Twitter

was considered to be a message exchange device but it became a powerful marketing tool

that allows instant communication and effective customer service.

People who use twitter belong to a particular culture, the culture of Twitter users. As defined

by Solomon in ³Consumer Behaviour a European perspective´:

³Culture is the accumulation of shared meanings, rituals, norms and traditionsamong the members of an organization or society. ...individual consumers and groups

of consumers are but part of culture, and culture is the overall system within which

other systems are organized.´ (p. 506)

By accepting the norms and rules established by Twitter, users internalise the culture andbecome its part. The norms and traditions incorporate, for instance, writing 140 characters in

a message and if the account has been created then the owner has to tweet something fromtime to time. Twitter users have also developed their own language including words such as:

twilebrity, twestival or twiart all those words can be look up in their online dictionaryhttp://twittonary.com/ Culture is very important as it brings all the members together and it

serves the function of socialization; in order to experience Twitter culture and fulfil the

socialization need people wish to join and use Twitter.

A culture can then be divided into subcultures, which help individuals to be differentiated

from the larger culture to which they belong. As defined by Schouten & McAlexander (1995)

a subculture emerges when people indentify with particular objects and then through those

objects identify with other people. They also classified the meaning of a subculture of

consumption that comes into existence when a group of society shares commitment to a

particular brand or product. Subcultures are usually based on age, gender, political or

religious views, geographical locations etc, however, the consumption subcultures include

social structure of the group, values and beliefs along with special rituals. Members of

subcultures tend to distinguish themselves from others through a particular music style or

fashion, they might even have their own argot.

@roaddevil I love bikers! Wanna look like me check out bikers style Rolo Chain Link Mens Stainless Steel Necklace (Jewelry) http://bit.ly/bTbX5p (Bikers subculture)

@MCCherry she love my slang talk jus like me she sed she proud to be stylez gang. idne made wat yu tryna get kuz my stylez s yo ... http://lnk.ms/2ts1z (Hip-hop slang)

Values and beliefs of people are affected by subcultures, hence in order to be up-to-date with

trends and styles people use Twitter and follow the subcultures with which they can associate



themselves. By expressing what is fashionable roaddevil helps followers to keep-up with theBikers fashion. People who are members of a particular consumption subculture tend to

engage into similar activities as do the members of that subculture. For instance, if membersof a subculture create a group on Twitter then the consumer in order to satisfy the need for

belonging will also join the group. Subculture tends to represent a way of life like Bikers,

Goths, Emos, Hip-Hop, Skinheads and many others. The extreme side of brands devotions is

known as cult, when a brand name becomes like a religion to consumers. One of theexamples is the cult of Macintosh:

@jillianrox19 MAC IM UR BIGGEST FAN EVER U NO I ONLY GOT A TWITTER

TO ADD U IDK WAT TWITTER DOES UR VIDEOS R LIKE MY WHOLE LIFE

Twitter allows users to satisfy their most intimate and hedonic needs. Customers¶ loyalty

towards the Macintosh brand strengthens its cult position. The assistance provided by the

customer service team, which has a registered twitter account, facilitates and increases the

Mac fan base. People can like and be fans of a brand, product or a person, which helps to

establish a positive relationship between them and the brand.

The brand communities can be formed when consumers follow similar patterns of consumption and share views about the brand characteristics. Schouten and McAlexander

(1995) identified brand community as a social unit to which individuals would relate in order to generate or renovate their self identity. Simmons (2008) proposed that consumption helps

postmodern consumers to re-establish themselves, however, the modern world is consideredto be individualistic, yet the consumers do not enjoy the consumption experience in isolation.

Therefore, brand community is a way to overcome the segregation issues. Anything of

interest can be found and supported on twitter and communities are there to represent

different interests of the public. There are computer, fashion, gardening, cosmetics, sports,

cigars and many other communities. One of them is a community of Tate museum.

@Tate we're part of the Great British Art Debate, & right now there's a debate at

Westfield in London! If you're there, join the talkaoke

Tate museum has 69,000 followers meaning that some of the most devoted consumers form

its brand community. The above statement implies that Tate is using Twitter as an instant

advertising tool that will inform the fans about the debate taking place at Westfield.

Mairinger (2008) indicated that brand communities transfers emotions and add real

experiences to the brand. According to statistics 49 % of social media users purchasedproducts based on their friends recommendations (Razorfish, 2008), therefore twitter can be

seen as a very important channel of interaction between brand communities, implying that anumber of individuals use Twitter in order to get information about a particular brand from

the other users- 24% follow brand because they are the current consumers and 23% because

they are interested in the brand and its reviews.

1

@CARPOWER007 Car Dealer Review: Bought a new 2010 Camry LE - Universal

Toyota: I called and spoke with John Kenny. He was real... http://bit.ly/bBMCI8

1 http://www.smcitizens.com/2009/05/12/seth-godin-tribes-and-brand-communities/ [Accessed March 16

th

2010]



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@jennysansouci I highly recommend Michael Pollan's "Food Rules." Simple, to the

point suggestions on eating for health! http://myliferecipe.com/food-rules/

Twitter aids communication process inside these communities and subcultures as well as it

provides opportunity for them to express and self-represent themselves.

@BikersWelcomeUS It's all about sharing info on motorcycle events and biker friendly places so we can all enjoy the ride

@digittrent just died my hair black... that's right. I am emo hear me cry

Goffman (1959) stated that self-presentation is shaped by the way an individual perceiveshim/herself as well as by the theory of social performance. Self-representation allows

individuals to achieve and create a desired impression, which Goffman called the impressionmanagement technique. Twitter allows consumers to self-present themselves all day long as

they can post any tweets at any time they want to. The extended self can develop as the

consumer incorporate social roles into the real self.

@jeimyespinoza88 I <3 Chanel .. U can be spiritual and wear Chanel. Make style anexpression of your soul. Inner Style = Outer Style #TDL

This twit can be interpreted in terms of the individual level of extended self, when a person

associates herself with the Chanel brand and she illustrates the ³You are what you wear´

example, thus Twitter helps her to express herself and link the inner self with the brand name.

Telepresence, the term developed by Minsky (1980) meaning the person not presented

physically can still be contacted with the use of modern technology. Telepresence permits

individuals to create multiple self-identities and live virtual lives of completely different

people with values, age and gender being distinct from real life ones. Online media is

exceptionally suitable for the development of multiple identities of the self, also known as

digital identity (Turkle, 1998).

@Britneyspear just arrived to the hairdressers and I know soon I will look gorgeous.

wanna get waves like me http://bit.ly/bABXbv

The person to whom belongs the tweet above is pretending to be Britney Spears because the

account is not verified and the name is not real either. The imaginary identity helps people toescape from reality and it might actually reflect their real inner identities as they do not need

to hide who they really want to be and what their desires are.

@HJuku_BarBie @Lstar_online I'm hiding my identity! U never know these days

whose on this "twitter thing" look @blackfirefly

Consumers create accounts that may be regarded as personal and private; however, the posts

created by users will be reflected in a broadly accessible domain. Therefore, if they want to

stay undercover they have to develop a conspicuous digital self that will carry out the

semiotic meaning of self. If Twitter users do not want to be publicly exposed they usually

lock their profiles, their account can then be considered as a learning tool, where a person

explores its personal preferences and real character.



However, the main reason behind using twitter is clearly communication. People createaccounts because they search for social bonds and twitter helps them to fulfill their wants.

The present society is very individualistic and by using Twitter users reconnect withcommunity. Isolation and individualism encourage people to consume symbols and signs in

order to counterbalance the lack of the sense of community. Postmodern consumers look

more for the symbolic linking value than for the functional value of goods and brands (Cova,

1997). Symbolic brands create a closer attachment between the symbol and the consumer.

@starbucks How do you transfer stars over from a lost card to a newly registered

one? I don't want to lose all of my rewards!!!

@fuelandfitness Stars are earned on an account, not a card. Just register a new card

on the same account. http://starbucks.com/card

Starbucks is regarded to be a symbolic brand, which causes people to generate feelings and

emotions as soon as they see Starbucks sign. Fans of Starbucks follow the brand on twitter,

which in turn replies onto the messages sent by the followers, that triggers even deeper emotional relationship.

Better relationship can be established if a consumer is involved with the product and is also

attached to it. Some TV shows create Twitter accounts for their characters. They want toexpand on storytelling in order to inspire fans and attract new viewers. Also it increases the

involvement of the audience as they can keep up with the character even when the show isnot on. Therefore, the followers are getting more attached to the series. Like in Nurse Jackie:

³Beginning in the season¶s second episode, the Dr. Cooper character, played by

Peter Facinelli, will be shown posting on Twitter, and the character¶s comments will

show up in real time on a Twitter account, called @DoctorCoop´2

One of the Twitter users posted that before using Twitter he communicated with colleagues

only through rare meetings at the bars or business events. Since he works as attorney in a

small office it was difficult to maintain good working relationship with colleagues from

subsidiary companies, therefore, the only way to re-communicate with them was to simply

start following them on Twitter.

³Now I just logon to Twitter and I have an instant stream of messages from other

attorneys throughout the country. I have the opportunity to trade war stories, to seek advice, and just to share common experiences.´ 3

The other reasons for using twitter might be using it as a personal ³headhunter´ tool in order

to find employees or employees use it as a job advertising technique. Also there might be soe

sore of addiction as now there is a term as ³twitter prison´ where users who tweet more than1000 tweets per day are allocated.

2 http://www.mobilebehavior.com/tag/twitter/ [Accessed March 18th 2010]

3 http://stevenbutler.com/2009/09/17/why-i-use-twitter/ [Accessed March 17

th2010]



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In the research conducted there could have been some methodological constraints. Theresearch was too subjective as I was the only person choosing tweets and deciding on what

theories to include. Also the participants studied might have not provided the reliableinformation due to the possible lack of true identity established behind the Twitter account.

In conclusion, the main reasons for using twitter is virtual socialization that keeps individuals

entertained and up-to-date with the global news, it re-communicates users and make them beheard. There are no more geographic boundaries as users can be communicated in every part

of the world. Moreover, it affects not only human beings but also big corporations that use

Twitter as a marketing tool to promote their products, find out what consumers think about

their brands and gather information about how they can improve. Twitter itself can be used as

an example of a successful brand as most of the people are not only aware of it but they are

also users.



Bibliography

1) Cova, B. (1997), µCommunity and consumption: towards a definition of linking value

of products and services¶, European Journal of Marketing, 31(3), 297-316.

2) Goffman, E. (1959), The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, NY:Doubleday Anchor.

3) Maringer, M. (2008), ³Branding 2.0- Using Web 2.0 Principles to build an Open

Source Brand´, Electronic Markets, Vol.18, 2, pp 117-129.

4) Minsky, M. (1980), Telepresence. Omni, June, 45±51. MIT Press Journals. (n.d.).

Presence. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/pres

[Accessed March 18th 2010]

5) Schouten, John W. and James H. McAlexander (1995), ³Subcultures of Consumption:

An Ethnography of the New Bikers,´ Journal of Consumer Research, 22 (1), 43-61.

6) Simmons, G. (2008), Marketing to Postmodern Consumer: Introducing the Internet

Chameleon. European Journal of Marketing, 42(3/4), 299-310.

7) Turkle, S. (1998), Leben im Netz, Hamburg: Rowohlt.

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Why people use twitter