Twitter vs. Seinfeld
Was there really any other image I could use here?
A few weeks ago, our cable and Internet went out for a few days. We usually watch some TV before bed, so with TV not an option, I popped in a Seinfeld DVD. Then another. And another. And another.
Over the past 14 nights, I’ve seen about 35-40 episodes of one of the greatest TV shows in history. Of course, I’ve seen them all before several times, but not for a few years.
My conclusion – Seinfeld is Twitter. And Twitter is Seinfeld.
Seinfeld was a TV show about everyday life.
Twitter allows us to share everyday life with an audience (who is also experiencing it).
Think about it, how many Tweets a day are about something funny you overheard, waiting for public transportation, little annoyances or…waiting to be seated at a Chinese restaurant? MILLIONS!
Is Twitter so popular because we can all share “Seinfeld” moments together?
Here are some examples of how popular Seinfeld exchanges would go on Twitter (note, the handles are fake):
CantStandYa: @PuffyShirtJerry How did it go with the girl? #FlavorOfTheWeek
PuffyShirtJerry: d CantStandYa It’s over. Apparently, they’re real…and they’re spectacular
CantStandYa: d PuffyShirtJerry can’t win em all, my friend
———————
MsElaineBenes: @KosmoKramer @CantStandYa What are you doing for lunch today?
KosmoKramer: @MsElaineBenesAll I can think about is Roasters! KENNY ROGERS ROASTERS! FTW!
———————
REAL_SoupNazi: @MsElaineBenes You are banned! SIX WEEKS!
MsElaineBenes: @REAL_SoupNazi I hate you! And your soup!
PuffyShirtJerry: It’s THE BEST! I love you @REAL_SoupNazi
———————
PuffyShirtJerry: Anyone around for a Christmas/Hanukah shindig?
CantStandYa: @PuffyShirtJerry You know I have Festivus dinner with my parents
KosmoKramer: @CantStandYa Ohhh…I’m feelin that! Feats of strength…eeeyah! cc @PuffyShirtJerry
——————–
Mailman69: Hello @PuffyShirtJerry
PuffyShirtJerry: @Mailman69 Hello, Newman.
——————-
I could go on, but you get the point.
Back to the theory though: Seinfeld was so popular because it covered our common culture. Yes, it was a show about “nothing,” but it was really a show about EVERYTHING. Love, work, friends, the city – nothing was off limits. The show could take us inside a shower (who could forget the low water pressure episode?) and around the world (I remember a trip to India in there somewhere…). It took us from dietary preferences (everyone loves muffin tops!) to strange diseases (Bubble Boy, anyone?).
Sounds strangely like a popular mobile social network, right?
Twitter can be profound and profane, mundane and megalomaniacal. We complain when we can’t find a place to park. We TwitPic bad haircuts. We share random observations of the world. We are real.
And that reality, Seinfeld’s and Twitter’s is what is so compelling. A reality where nothing really is everything.
Let me leave you with two of my favorite moments in Seinfeld history. Enjoy!
Popularity: unranked [?]
