Twitter is a social networking service (set up in 2006) that I've been using since summer 2007 and use pretty much every day. There is no singular community on Twitter but, as my friends frequently remind me, there is a distinct language and style to the 140 character postings and interactions. There is also a different model of relationship building and maintenance through the service.
In order to give an idea of why I wanted to specifically look at Twitter as a community I thought it would be useful to start by introducing both Twitter and hashtags (around which this mini ethnography is based) under these headings:
What Twitter is, and how does it work (in terms of people, not just technology)
What happens on hashtags and what role do they play in the Twitter community?
The second section should give you an idea of the characteristics of the service that made me feel that a specific hashtag could be seen as a community rather than just strangers using the same service.
1. What is Twitter and How Does it Work
Both items used as explanation here are videos out on the web that give great overviews of Twitter that shies away from the celebrity/news and campaigning focus that often defines the mainstream media coverage of the site. Hopefully they give an idea of why I would want to look at doing an ethnography in this "field site".
Part 1: Twitter in Plain English
This is a great overview of what Twitter is. If you're already a regular user - as most of those reading this will be - it's probably all stuff you know but if you don't use Twitter yet it's a great way to quickly get an idea of the mechanics:
Part 2: How Twitter Actually Works Amongst Real People
As part of a community-created forthcoming history of the internet series for BBC Two (tentatively called "Digital Revolution") Aleks Krotoski recently interviewed Biz Stone and Evan Williams and I think that the rushes (currently on the programme website) give a really good sense of why Twitter is more than the sum of it's technological parts. It can be a way of changing social interactions, being part of a community, meeting new people or simply keeping up with people you already know. It is also a way for companies to engage with their customers which is where this interview starts:
2. What Happens on Hashtags and What Role Do They Play in the Twitter Community?
Hashtags are a way to tag and group Tweets on Twitter. Although you would generally only use a single hashtag you can apply multiple hashtags on the same Tweet (to the extent that 140 characters allows) if a Tweet can be appropriately added to various different discussion threads. Hashtags are converted automatically converted into links on Twitter so clicking on, for instance, #Torchwood will bring back all the recent Tweets that have been tagged with the #Torchwood hashtag.
Because hashtags group related Tweets they are often assigned to specific events (such as conferences) but also emerge out of community postings about, for instance, the Hudson plane crash, Micheal Jackson's death etc. The hashtags that are most Tweeted about at any time are flagged us as "Trending" on the Twitter website - and that often causes a positive feedback loop which sees additional postings onto the tag and keeping the tag trending. This is the sort of communal viral news distribution that receives press attention but there is also a lot of ongoing activity on non-trending hashtags that continues throughout the year. It is this type of Tweeting that I will be focusing on here as I think the #Torchwood hashtag has qualities consistent with a community.