Where Twitter in particular shines is in the news field.
Two completely different instances:
When the bombings in Boston happened, I went on Twitter feeds to find out up-to-date (literally second by second) updates as to what was going on. I'd find out info before it was on TV, before it was updated online, on the radio, etc. Same went with the manhunt- I was down in PA when it was happening, so it didn't have the same news coverage- but I could still follow along.
Another example- I'm huge into the NFL, and Twitter in the past few years has been the best (and quickest) source of info for free-agency happenings.
I also think it's cool to be able to have conversations with pro athletes, analysts, newscasters, etc...
Media has changed today- it's a race to see who can post info online (and often times on Twitter) the quickest. I don't think this is necessarily a good thing- as was the case in the bombings, much misinformation was out there- but there's certainly more utility to it than "I went shopping today"
Also, the question can always be asked- do you
need to know the information that quickly? Probably not. But that's a generational conversation.
As with many things, garbage in, garbage out. If you use it for junk then don't expect much- but used selectively it can be quite beneficial.
Re: Ads- I think there are
many stupid people out there who do buy that stuff- or at least click once to see what's up
