Tweetasy

In 1943 Abraham Maslow published his hierarchy of needs asserting that human needs fall into discrete categories. Maslow contended that an individual can seek to fulfill certain categorical needs only after foundational needs have been fulfilled.

Recently, The Innovation Diaries proposed that these same needs are met in various ways in the micro-society that has formed on twitter. Indeed, it seems that many habits on twitter arise in something resembling the order that Maslow’s hierarchy predicts. The original question twitter asked was “What are you doing?” which created a preponderance of tweets about eating, sleeping, and other physiological status updates; tweeting about the fulfillment of the bottom or foundational level of Maslow’s hierarchy. Safety and comfort are the second level of the hierarchy. Needs such as keeping up with the latest trends and increasing popularity fit nicely in this category. Next on Maslow’s hierarchy are social needs and these appeared quickly on twitter as @replies emerged as a way for people to connect and interact. One more step up, Maslow proposed that we seek esteem. Twitter, like all social networking sites, has hosted a wide variety of attempts and strategies to gain as large and wide a following as possible, stroking the egos of the users. This graph from theinnovationdiaries.com explains the parallels.

And finally, we reach the top, where Tweetasy fits in. The uppermost need Maslow proposed, the one we seek only when all other needs have been filled, is self-actualization, or the realization of one’s full potential. Can tweet styles such as meta-tweeting, twooshing, and Tweetasy aid or describe actualization or a twitter parallel of such? Challenge yourself to find out! See how much meaning you can squeeze into 140 characters of fiction. It’s been said many times that short stories can be harder to write well than novels; will Tweetasy be even harder, or will you find a sweet spot?