I Am, Therefore I Tweet

In my previous entry I put forth the idea that human beings are genetically compelled to communicate and that tweeting reflects this compulsion. Tweeting may or may not be useful communication.

Our compulsion to communicate was selected for because it enables us to make our lives better by creating knowledge that serves our needs and intentions, but the compulsion to communicate is built into us and our exercise of the impulse is not limited to that which is specifically useful.

For example, a young bird is compelled to flap its wings, though its wings are still incapable of flight. My puppy is compelled to hunt, though it is unlikely that her impulse to hunt will ever serve to get her a meal. Tweeting is part of our genetic programming irrespective of its utility in any given situation.

Here are a few observations of the tweeting impulse unchained:

• Babies babbling
• Mothers cooing
• Singing in the shower
• Muttering
• Dreaming
• Small-talk at parties
• Cursing bad luck
• Raging out-loud at other drivers

All of these examples of the tweeting impulse are largely devoid of conscious intention and purpose, though we can rationalize them after the fact. The fact remains, that we just tweet because we are genetically programmed to engage in symbolic behavior. Its the same as saying that we flap our wings even when flight cannot be attained and that we hunt even when we have no prey.

In this view, psycho-pathological explanations —- “Twittering stems from a lack of identity “or “Using Twitter suggests a level of insecurity” — are as silly as the idea that a baby bird’s flapping wings or a pet dog’s hunting behavior is somehow pathological. So much for psychological explanations!

It is not that “I tweet therefore I am”, it is that “I am, therefore I tweet”. Of course, putting our tweets to work to make a better world would make them more than tweets and that would be a fine thing. ¹

Pooh-tweet.
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