Saturday, August 14, 2010

The State of Twitter in Kuwait

It is amazin how Twitter adoption in Kuwait is accelerating. It was about three years ago when i last searched for tweets near Kuwait. I found less than 100 tweets spanning 24 hours. Now, everyone and their mom is tweeting. When you search for tweets near Kuwait you'll find 100 tweets every 5 minutes and more at times.

The good thing about twitter, in my opinion, is that it's not restricted for one thing. It is there for you to use it how you please. And there is absolutely no wrong way to use twitter.

Personally, I use twitter to write about interesting stuff that I read online, report news that are important to me, talk about funny things I come across, and chat with friends. That's my contribution to twitter. However, I consume more than I contribute. I follow all sorts of technology celebrities and Kuwaitis who have the same interests as me, mainly technology and games. I also follow my friends. And use Flipboard to see the links posted by the people I'm following.
But this post is about my observation of Kuwaiti tweeps (people who use twitter) and their behavior. I think they are divided into three categories. The ones who use it to chat only, influenced by blackberry maybe? The ones who use it to post jokes and funny pictures, blackberry influence too? And the ones who have no sense of privacy and broadcast every single thing they are doing, basically an open invitation to stalkers. And any combination of these three categories. And the confused newbies.

Again, this is twitter and there is no wrong way to use it. Just be careful and know that all your tweets are public and bad people may read your tweets and know that you are "at the avenues mall pinkberry at the table near the door and just went to the bathroom alone." Or you "left the Porsche doors open at 360 parking level 2 ." Just don't do that, people.

I'm constantly monitoring the adoption of new technology in Kuwait and will try to take another look at twitter in Kuwait in about 3 years from now and see what changes.


Happy twittering.