We are a social media crazy nation. We are
always on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and what have you! Undeniably, Facebook
is now the third deity in the pantheon, joining Cricket and Cinema as the
nation's favourite pastime. 114 million Indians now kneel at the altar of
Facebook, morning, noon and night. In 2013, India has added 36 million users,
becoming the second largest country on Facebook while Twitter has added just
over 6 million users. A minority in the social scheme of things, Twitter has
only 20 million users in the country. Why do people prefer Facebook over
Twitter?
The question has been puzzling me for a while.
On asking a few people who are otherwise fairly vociferous on social media but
have chosen to shun Twitter, I finally got my answer. People prefer the
'social' angle of social media a lot to the 'media' angle. Facebook is more
social while Twitter is more 'media'.
Facebook is like a telephone. It is based on a
two-way relationship. By granting access to your Facebook page, you are allowing
other people to be a part of your life as it happens. Facebook 'Friends' are a
known circle of people who you want to update about myriad activities and
opinions - from last night's dinner to what you think about the country's
politicians. The joy of Facebook engagement comes from the reciprocation you receives
from your friends via likes and comments.
On the other hand, Twitter is like a customised
newspaper. It is about time sensitive information and opinions. Just like
viewership and circulation figures of traditional media, the gratification lies
in the number of followers and the power to influence the people who follow
you. But most common people are happy to 'influence' or share their opinion
with friends and family who are already connected to them on Facebook and do
not feel the need to 'influence' the janta, leaving it to the
film stars and politicians.
Twitter is a great place to debate for people
who feel strongly about certain issues. However, people feel that the 140
character limit makes most conversations shallow. A good debate or a point of
view needs a little more space than that. On the other hand, the brevity
increases the noise. Anyone can create or contribute to any conversation,
making it difficult to separate the important from the trivial.
Moreover, as far as opinions go, specially the
ones aired by our politicians, they seem to be everywhere! From TV channels to
newspapers to news apps and Facebook, we are bombarded with everyone's opinion.
It seems the last thing one needs is another channel to add to their already
media-saturated life.
Twitter is perceived as a great platform by those who want to influence and those who want to get influenced. Despite its
video and picture sharing features, it is still not perceived as a medium for
the hoi polloi to communicate the banalities of everyday life.
For most people, the joy of social media lies in the voyeuristic pleasures of
peeping into the lives and minds of people they know and not in the opinions of
the people they don't know. So as long as Twitter carries the weight of a
serious medium, it will not become the darling of the masses.
