Twitter Stereotypes

In the article “Clive Thompson on How Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense”, Clive Thompson, a journalist, comments on the ongoing increase use of Twitter. Thompson writes this article in response to the negative stereotypes against Twitter and wants the people who have these negative stereotypes to see that Twitter actually works as a sixth sense which help us in our social relationships. In order to narrow the gap between the stereotypes and reality of Twitter and to support his claim, Thompson first points out the stereotypes using direct quotation from people in the society. Thompson uses direct quotes from Productivity guru Tim Ferriss and a Silicon Valley business. He states that Mr. Ferriss thinks Twitter is a ““pointless emails on

Thompson state that Twitter is “like a proprioception” and “like ESP.” (Line 10, 15) Proprioception is an unconscious perception and ESP is extra sensory perception. So, by comparing Twitter to proprioception and ESP, Thompson is trying to show that Twitter has created this unconscious way to stay socially connected to everyone. To support his claim that we are able to stay connected unconsciously to our peers through Twitter, Thompson gives a person anecdote about how he knew everything that was going on in Misha’s life even though he hadn’t talked to her for a month. In his case, even though he wasn’t stalking Misha, he unconsciously knew what was going on in Misha’s life through the Twitter post that Misha had made. This is very similar to how our senses work too, so he also compared it to ESP. Our senses unconsciously sense the stuff in our environment; in the same way, people are able to “sense” what is going on in their peer’s life unconsciously through the use of Twitter. To support that, Thompson states that through Twitter one is able to sense “who is overloaded…and who’s on a roll. (Line