Digital verbosity What’s in a tweet

The information from a tweet is not limited to the 140 characters for each message; instead, the vast amount of information is hidden in the tweets metadata. The map published by Raffi Krikorian, displays the array of information available to companies just from one tweet. The metadata includes characteristics such as location of user, user biography, user activities on Twitter, and much more. Twitter streaming is a new technology for companies to collect data for their marketers.

Similar to many other technologies that withhold user information, the concern for privacy is raised. Twitter has made it very clear that it owns the rights to the personally identifiable information users provide, and can sell it to third parties. Twitter displays no advertisements on their webpage; instead, it generates revenue from selling the information in the metadata of tweets to companies. By using twitter you are not just tweeting but are also providing raw consumer data to companies.