How tweet!

When you first hear the term, it sort of reminds you of a cute, bright-yellow canary, the little “I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat” guy! (Surely there’s still a generation that remembers?)

But in Today-speak, a ‘tweet’ is apparently a message, used on “a free social networking and micro-blogging service”. (US techno-challenged-ians depend heavily on others’ definitions.)

“I can’t understand why Amma uses a GPS to go to her favourite saree shop in Panagal Park!”

Tweets evidently keep you connected (certainly useful in emergencies) but, more important, enable you to follow friends and/or celebrities all through the live-long day. The number of ‘characters’ allowed being limited – even a comma counts as a “character” here – everyone keeps his yakking short and….er… tweet! (“Micro-messages” are a great way to discipline the garrulous.)

In true spirit of oneupman­ship, there’s apparently competition over the number of ‘followers’ you generate, with some celebrities having over a million... that’s like having your own, albeit tiny, country.

Technology is determined to grapple everyone closer, isn’t it?

They also say you can track people using GPS through cell phones. (Talk about a whole new generation of excuses and cover-ups being invented as a result.)

So much connectivity?

And involvement in each other’s minutiae?

Meanwhile, discussions, articles and programmes on neuroses – and neck-injuries attributed to the Looking-Over-Your-Shoulder-Constantly Syndrome – have been increasing of late.

Coincidence?