*I drafted this back in December, but am only publishing this now as I feel slightly more confident in expressing an opinion about internet stuff.

I just read Chris Sacca‘s explanation about why he twitters. It got me thinking about the reasons why something like Twitter catches on, and I soon realised that the reasons why Twitter is sticky and attractive are the same reasons that Facebook is also so successful.

Namely, I think Twitter and Facebook are powerful because they tap into two human instincts:

1) the desire to advertise information about one’s self
2) the desire for information about other people

Perhaps I’m over-simplifying a little here, but really, on facebook, when filling out our profiles, putting up photos, adding friends and so on, we are driven by the motivation of letting everyone know our identity. It’s a powerful motive.

What’s really clever, is that this personal motive works perfectly in tandem with the social incentive of adding useful information to our community. When someone fills out their profile, they are creating value for themselves, but also for everyone else in the network. Long live network effects.

Despite the fact that some people early on questioned Twitter’s potential, I’m happy to say it is doing fantastically well.

It’s a brilliant way to stay in touch with friends, but more than that, it creates a different type of connection between individuals. It’s really hard to explain, you’ve gotta use it to understand what I’m trying to say.

You can follow me here, or if not, maybe Steve Wozniak, or Janina Gavankar? Cool.