Now that Twitter’s IPO has launched and trading is expected to begin on the New York Stock Exchange in November, there is an increased interest in how and why people use the microblogging platform. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from October 11 to the 18th shows that 36 percent of people who have signed up for Twitter don’t use it, while another seven percent have shut their closed their accounts. The same poll also shows that 38 percent of non-tweeters say they don’t use Twitter because they “did not find it that interesting or useful.” (Perhaps those people should try following Kanye?) Another thirteen percent of that lot “said they do not understand what to use Twitter for.” (Alright, that one makes sense.)
For comparison, only seven percent of Facebook members polled report not using Zuckerberg’s creation, while five percent said they shut down their accounts. These numbers led former Yahoo exec and Apple designer Larry Cornett to tell Reuters that, “The average person [is] still baffled by” Twitter. He suggests, “If they want the mass adoption and that daily engagement, they have to make it really easy for people to consume.” Perhaps they should consider banning hashtags.
