May 18, 2008

Twitter Goes Mainstream


By the same token, when we talk about “people who hate Park Slope,” we are talking in large part about a certain stratum of the chattering, Twittering class.

That sentence, taken from an article today in that ultimate barometer of pop culture, the New York Times Style Section, is the first pop culture mention of Twitter that I've seen to date.

It's significant in that they chose to mention Twitter without footnote or explanation: it was assumed that the Times' readership (no doubt made up largely of the "chattering, Twittering class") would instinctively know what Twitter was and why it was important in keeping "chatter" going.

And if that's not a milestone, I don't know what is.

If you work in advertising or marketing, it's time to join the conversation. You can follow me here - you don't need to participate, you can just listen in, but it's imperative that you at least tune in occasionally.

As for the rest of the Times article, it's unfortunately their usual Style section nonsense: the author completely misses that the reason Park Slope draws the wrath of certain people who don't live there is the perceived smugness of its residents, a perception the article only serves to reinforce.

But it's the Twitter mention that's important. Biz Stone and his service are now officially part of the American pop culture landscape. And for addicts (Twiddicts?) like me, that's a good sign.

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