I just returned from SXSW in Austin where I had a chance to participate in a panel about visual thinking with Lee LeFever, Sunni Brown, Dave Gray, and Tom Crawford. We had a huge crowd in the room, and there was a lot of Twittering going on, most of which you can read here.
Seeing all those fingers flying and tweets popping up got me thinking. In a few short years we've gone from individual website content authors writing thousands of words of text for big websites to lots of friends writing thousand of tiny notes to each other.
Seen visually, the progression looks like this Teeter-Totter diagram...
There is a clear trend here towards fewer words delivered with increased frequency. Given that each new web technology remains hip for a shorter time than the previous, we should pretty soon see Twitter's replacement in the form of a one-word blip that is constantly updated by everyone alive.
Let's call it -- whatever "it" is -- BLIPPER.
Check out this visual tweet...many words, but needed the visual link:
Bradley Askew : Tweet #666 - Words couldn't express how I feel, thus an illustration, http://tinyurl.com/d2uuno
Posted by: Michelle Malott | March 19, 2009 at 11:43 AM
does not account for youtube
Posted by: evul jeanyis | March 19, 2009 at 11:39 AM
I think the future is in direct-to-brain low-jacking, ala The Matrix. Thus, we move from words to thoughts for all "virtual" interaction. I've already shaved my head in the back as prep for the inevitable.
Posted by: Eric Wilbanks | March 19, 2009 at 09:28 AM
I think you've forgotten that pendulums swing and teeters tot. The next big thing will be the web taking all those tweets and turning them into something akin to War and Peace.
Posted by: Larry Short | March 19, 2009 at 07:45 AM
and after Blipper "it" will be Gibber
Posted by: Gerold | March 19, 2009 at 06:02 AM
Dan, did you just blipper "SXSW" ?
http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23sxsw+OR+SXSW
Twitter: @dulk
Posted by: dulk | March 19, 2009 at 06:01 AM
It's the 21st century morse code. Maybe next we'll use flag semaphores and no words??
Posted by: NicoledeB | March 19, 2009 at 04:13 AM
Following Blipper there will be a further evolution. We will simply transmit single icons or periods to each other. Bipper.
Finally, at the end of days, we will all simply transmit a singularity in unison. Entropy will be achieved. A second big bang will occur and humanity will learn to actually communicate with itself again via speech and writing.
Twitter: @john_larkin
Posted by: John | March 19, 2009 at 02:48 AM
Cool.
Posted by: Stephen | March 19, 2009 at 02:17 AM