When it comes to evaluating social networking apps, I cannot be trusted. So, as I’ve been thinking that Twitter was much ado about nothing, I’ve also been thinking, “but how would I know?” But yesterday, I got testimony from an expert witness, a 14-year-old girl who texts instead of speaking!

So, I’m sitting at The Peace Center, the world’s greatest performing arts venue, at intermission of a pretty good performance of To Kill a Mocking Bird, when I look over at the kid next to me, and notice that she is texting at about the speed I type. Never one to pass up a learning opportunity, I ask her, “So, how many texts do you sent in a week?”

“Well, I send about 75 a day, so 75 times 7 is, well, I guess a lot.”

“I’m an old guy, so I probably don’t send 75 a year.”

“Yeah, I guess not.”

“So, do you send all these texts to a lot of people, or do you sent a lot of texts to a few people.”

“Mostly, like, five to seven people. Sometimes others.” I need to note that she said seven, without my prompting. I think that’s significant. But that’s another post for another time.

“So, like you and your seven friends just text each other all the time.”

“Yeah.”

“So, do you change your Facebook status by phone?”

“No, I have a Blackberry.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah.”

“But I have friends who change their Facebook status, like, every minute. I’m like, ‘you need to live your life.’ Like, how do they find time to do anything but change their Facebook status?”

“Yeah, really. So, do you Twitter?”

Wrinkles cute little teeny-bopper nose. “No. I don’t get Twitter. What’s the big deal?”

So, I rest my case.

Twitter. Schmitter.