I admit that when I first heard about it, the concept of Twitter
utterly eluded me; an opportunity for monomaniacs to broadcast their
every pompous move to an unenthralled universe, I figured.
Twitter is one of those things--like wire ties--that initially lack
luster but whose utility gradually reveals itself over time. Yesterday
I used Twitter to remind myself to pay off a credit card, and it
occurred to me that twitter updates lend themselves perfectly to the
kind of accountability pushed by twelve-step programs. They can
provide a fearless moral inventory that can be maintained
minute-by-minute and a confessional that can be broadcast to the
absolution or condemnation of a wide audience, or alternatively can be
a fast way to track dietary misdeeds for later repentance (and
calorie-counting). A quick Google indicates that this
may be an idea with legs; folks appear to be using Twitter to keep
themselves honest at everything from quitting drinking to losing
weight to maintaining a consistent writing schedule. If you're still
keeping a New Year's Resolution, you may want to give it a try.
