Anyone who has read Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" will instantly realize that most (or any) meaningful debate and discussion cannot be conducted on twitter. It's a great medium for announcing your band's tour dates, announcing flash mobs / protests, and commenting on the trivial events of the day, but I believe that the extent of its function in fostering real discussions is in directing people to other media / message boards / whatever (and many of us these days will not bother to follow the links and read something that is more than 140 characters).
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Anyone who has read Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" will instantly realize that most (or any) meaningful debate and discussion cannot be conducted on twitter. It's a great medium for announcing your band's tour dates, announcing flash mobs / protests, and commenting on the trivial events of the day, but I believe that the extent of its function in fostering real discussions is in directing people to other media / message boards / whatever (and many of us these days will not bother to follow the links and read something that is more than 140 characters).