How Does Twitter Affect Your Creativity?

New to Twitter? Can’t understand the attraction? This video should make things clearer.

One of the emerging trends of 2009 is the rise and rise of Twitter, with analysts predicting this is the year it will go mainstream the way Facebook did a couple of years ago. Doubtless the tipping point was when Twitter was featured in our Top 10 Social Networks for Creative People. 🙂

But what are the implications for creativity? Is using Twitter likely to have a positive or negative impact on your creative work?

No self-respecting post about Twitter would be complete without a sprinkling of tweets from the author’s Twitter followers, so here are some of the responses I received yesterday when I asked ‘Is using Twitter good or bad for your creativity?’:

anything that lets a thought out of my mind is good. @Jagdeep_Kaur

Twitter challenges my creativity to be compelling, provocative or enigmatic in only 140 characters. @Graphicgranola

Dunno, Mark. But I can now say most anything in 140 characters or fewer. Is that good? @jqgill

good for creative research across the web, bad for offline productivity. Creativity is many things. @bridgetmck

great for inspiration, research, sharing but addictive – i’m inspired to do more & be more. 140 characters focuses the mind @hannahknowles

To judge from this sample, there are pros and cons for creative people using Twitter:

Positives

Bridget and Hannah describe Twitter as great for research and inspiration — presumably because of the Medici Effect of all the criss-crossing connections between users sharing conversations, questions and links.

Jagdeep suggests that Twitter is great for spontaneous self-expression.

Graphicgranola, jqgill and Hannah identify the 140 character limit as a creative challenge, a great example of thinking inside the box.

Negatives

Bridget says Twitter is bad for productivity and Hannah says it is addictive — implying that Twitter can suck time out of your day that could be spent more productively (and creatively) elsewhere.

If that hasn’t put you off 🙂 you can get bite-sized Lateral Action on Twitter from Brian and me!

EDIT: Check out Chuck Frey’s list of innnovation Twitter users.

How Does Twitter Affect YOUR Creativity?

Twitter users:

Do you think Twitter has a positive or negative impact on your creativity?

Can you add to the list of positives and negatives?

Do you have any tips on using Twitter creatively and/or avoiding the pitfalls?

Non-Twitter users:

Do you think you’re missing out on creative inspiration or better off steering clear of Twitter?

About the Author: Mark McGuinness is a poet and creative coach.