I watched the Super Bowl last night with my wife, and a ton of other friends. We had a great time heckling the two teams, screaming when our favored teams scored, and marveling at how flexible Bruce Springsteen still was up on stage, even though he’s pushing 60. The comments were flying back and forth, and the conversation was non-stop! We had such a good time!
Oh, and did I mention that all of my “friends” watching the game were actually on Twitter, not in my living room?
Twitter by its very nature is rooted in social interaction. It’s a great way to talk with others centered around big events. The Super Bowl is a mega-event, where people are twittering about a whole lot more than the game. People were talking about the super bowl ads, the game itself, the halftime show, the players, the celebrities at the game, and anything else you could think of. Some sample comments:
Incredible catch. There may be a WR named superbowl MVP but it will be Santonio Holmes and not Fitzgerald. Holmes has been clutch.
i never watch football n this is an amazing game!
Ok my heart. Totally shaking. Adrenaline. geez!!!!!
Sorry Giants fans. Roethlisberger 2 Holmes…Greatest. Play. Ever.
When big events like this come around, it would be easy to understand how Twitter could be brought to its knees. People love to watch big events with others, to interact and share the experience. Twitter is a great way to have a shared experience, even if you aren’t able to attend. Never has this been more apparent than when we watched the Super Bowl and the inauguration within the past few weeks. People reveled in the shared experience, sharing thoughts and just being social.
So to me that is the essence of Twitter: social interaction and shared experience.
What do you think? Do you think Twitter makes big events more interactive? Is that the essence of what Twitter can do – create shared experience?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s so true! Last night I was at a football party and nowhere near my computer. But after that guy (sorry, not a huge football fan, so I don’t know the names) made the interception and ran 100 yards for a TD, the first thing I did was scream. The second thing I did was wonder what was being said on Twitter!
My name is Lynnae, and I’m a Twitter addict. LOL
Yeah, isn’t it sad when you’re not able to twitter – and you just can’t help but wonder what everyone on twitter is saying? Twittaholics anonymous now in session – My name is Pete, and I’m a Twitter addict.
And to think I was all alone.