Twitter's website says that it's 'a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?' The video on the website (twitter.com) gives the example of a lady finding out about the daily lives of her friends.

The website's assertion that 'Twitter puts you in control and becomes a modern antidote to information overload' is frankly unconvincing. Nevertheless, with our focus on the importance of relationships drawn from God's Word, Twitter seems like not just another social networking technology but one that gives a real opportunity to share in the lives of our family, friends and colleagues. This is a welcome change from technology encouraging individualistic behaviour, with children lost on their PS3 game or iPod and parents surfing the web, 'handling their email' or watching the TV in the kitchen.

It all looks promising. However, when I ask people who they are 'following' on Twitter, that is, who have they signed up to receive messages ('tweets') from, the list might include friends and family, but the people they're really excited about are celebrities like Stephen Fry or President Obama.

Instead of helping us love our neighbour as ourselves, it's sad to think that Twitter is reinforcing the cult of the celebrity.

Please reassure me if you are a 'twitterer' that you are using Twitter relationally.....

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