His arguments against twitter can be summarized as:

Twitter is silly because;

1. People mostly use it to share mundane stuff like what they have for breakfast
2. 140 characters is too little to write anything good
3. All/most twitter users are youngsters who are lonely and want validation/connection
4. Twitter will kill or is killing serious thought and dialogue

While he give no evidence to back up his claims, underlying his assertions seem to be a belief that  online social networks are somehow inferior to real world ones, and that these networks are a sign of degeneration of the society.

What he gets wrong:

1. Confusing the user with the media. Mobile phones are used by terrorists to talk about killing people, are mobile phones evil? Even if it is granted that tweeting about ones breakfast is silly, how does it make twitter silly?
2. The mundane is not. I don’t know Mr Chandan personally but I doubt he can get through a day if he does no “mundane” talk at all. Sharing how your day was with your friends and family is one of the commonest and greatest forms of “bonding” exchanges. If we only spoke of policy, politics and philosophy, we shall either go mad, or turn into fanatics.
3. Ignorance of social media and what makes it great. I think Mr Chandan has not understood why facebook, twitter and blogs have taken the world by storm; the power of social media lies in the centrality of the individual. No longer must he be limited by the tools given to him by traditional mediums of thought exchange. What can be done by social media is limited purely by the ability of its users.
4. Bad basic research. If he had dug just a little beneath the surface, he would have realized that an immense amount of good is being done via twitter, from raising funds for Africa to creating awareness about domestic violence in India. His own associate  editor recently managed to expose the hypocrisy and shallowness of the ruling party (ref: cattlegate)

I sincerely hope, that as a member of the main stream media he will give twitter more serious thought, or at least be informed in his derision.

Here are some further readings for those who wish to know that twitter can be used for and what brevity can do.

How to do good on twitter (Mashable)

10 most creative uses of twitter including quitting smoking

Twitter as a teaching tool

Use Twitter to become a better writer

How to make a plant talk using twitter

How a student twittered his way out of prison

Homosexuals in India are legally criminals. Section 377 of the IPC says that anyone who has ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’ may be imprisoned for up to 10 years. In the days it was drafted, anything from oral sex to even using a condom was considered unnatural. In spite of the British having left, and much of the unnatural having become natural and normal, this archaic law that discriminates against homosexuals is still in place. Though India has long stopped prosecuting consensual couples under the law, it is still a source of exploitation and places power in wrong hands.

What bothers me the most in about the gay rights discussion is the misplaced focus from the real problem facing trans-genders and people with alternate sexual preferences. Gay rights isn’t about the right to practice sodomy, it is about the right to be treated like a human being. It is about being allowed to be a Indian citizen, a valued part of the democracy.

That the pride marches are allowed and encouraged even, is a clear sign of the very high tolerance levels of the aam admi, as well as rising awareness about these issues. One must also concede that the non interference of the law enforcement agencies with the pride marches are an indication that law and policy have changed, if not on paper, certainly in the minds of people.

There is no doubt that the coming years are going to see definite and positive change towards equality and dignity. I think we can be confident that the day when pride marches are not demonstrations but festivals is not too far away.

AnandP

Read more about Bengaluru Pride 2009

Ps: I am not done, upcoming on the blog are posts on misconceptions about homosexuality and why my friends thought I was gay.

Photo by queeryouthindia