Twhores, Twitter, and The Dunbar Number
I’m annoyed. It’s not a big deal, but it’s annoying me anyway. I keep getting “follows” on twitter from tweeps, usually promoter/advertiser types, with thousands – sometimes tens of thousands of following/ers. These tweeps don’t know me, they don’t know anything about me, and most of all, they don’t care what I have to say.
For those tweeps that are on this mindless mission to collect the largest follow lists possible on Twitter, you need a name. You’re a bunch of attention whores on twitter, so I’ll call you twhores.
If you are following more than 300 tweeps, I call you a twhore.
Why 300? It fits well with the Dunbar number (the number of individual in a social group that the human mind can keep track of). Orginally, Dunbar set the number for humans around 150. Later, it was suggested to be as high as 290. I think 300 is a nice safe margin.
Granted, some brands and other twitter accounts are using twitter for slightly different reasons… but, those aren’t the folks I’m talking about. I think you know who I’m talking about… Maybe someone will come up with a better name for these twhores later on… But for now, I feel a tad better.
OK call me a Twhore! I follow for links and information for my work primarily and then I have a bunch of actual friends that I converse with I you. :) I see where following 1000′s just does not make sense. I’ve been paring down my follow list… and then I find a new topic or interest and follow those Tweeple… Eventually I may tire of Twhoring but for now I’m all in. ;)
You do an impressive job of keeping tabs, I have noticed.
You bring up an interesting point, I do the same thing to a lesser degree – I follow some folks because we’re friends and others because they post something I’m interested in. I would really like to keep the two completely separate. I like to read the random tweets for entertainment, but I hate that the noise distracts me from keeping up with my friends.