There have always been shifts in the means of communication: the telephone created one-to-one communication possible, across the world. TV allowed for broadcasting to millions of people. The Internet gave us access to countless websites, but social media, and Twitter in particular, is in many ways helping to forge the next era of communication.

Below are five key aspects of this new movement:

1) Selected Communication

We increasingly use communication where we have vetted everyone from whom we can receive messages, unlike e-mail where just about anyone can walk through uninvited and there is no limit to length. Access via @replies can be denied through the “block user” feature.

2) Stages of Communication

Increasingly, the starting point is through @replies on social media like Twitter, and communication develops from there, allowing us various levels of communication with those in our network

Stages of communication
– @replies
– DM
– Share email addresses and phone numbers

3) Transparent Communication

Greater amounts ofcommunication are public and transparent. Today, it is easier than ever to know who is talking to whom. People are realizing that there is a benefit to sharing and allowing people to eavesdrop on many of their conversations.

4) Brief Communication

People are choosing large networks with shorter, more to-the-point conversation, rather than smaller networks with longer conversations. Of course, shorter communication can lead to longer, more in-depth ones, but the introduction point for contact is one of brevity.

5) Access as Communication

In the past, if you wanted to get a message to Bill Gates, you had almost no chance. Now exists an open channel where he and other high profile people can engage with every day people. In this new communication age, people are reachable in more ways than ever.