TOM MAST

Star-Tribune staff writer

I don't think of myself as a Luddite.

The Luddites were a group of 19th century British textile workers who reacted to the Industrial Revolution by destroying the mechanized looms they thought threatened their livelihoods.

The term Luddite has come to mean a person who opposes technological progress. I'm not that. I use technology all the time. I typed this column on a computer, not a typewriter. I found background information on Google, not in a library book.

I'm more a late adapter. Sometimes, a very late adapter.

I don't own a cell phone. Young people find this amusing and idiosyncratic. But to me, cell phones seem as much nuisance as convenience. I have an answering machine. Leave a message and I'll call you back. I'm not particularly obstinate about this. A cell phone merely seems unnecessary.

I'm also not clear about iPods, except that they store vast quantities of music for play-back. It's difficult for me to imagine how a listener can grasp Beethoven's real meaning on wee-bitty little earphones, rather than via robust speakers capable of shattering window glass.

Recently, I signed up for a Twitter account, my first foray into the world of social networking.

The whole idea of Twitter is based on a question: "What are you doing?"

Messages, called tweets, are limited to 140 characters. This doesn't allow for much elaboration. The first message that turned up at my Twitter account, from whom I have not the slightest clue, was "going to sleep." This was followed by, "send me a kiss if you love me." Love you? Hell, I don't even know you.

To me, it all seems rather silly and self-absorbed. But Kim Sears, a young woman at the Wyoming Business Council, is enthusiastic about Twitter.

Kim and I live in different worlds. She understands Twitter. She even knows about Twitter etiquette. Where I see meaningless jabber, Kim sees potential.

To increase Twitter traffic, Kim suggests that I add a biography and photo. "Since social media is all about establishing relationships, people will want to see who they're talking to."

She says a little chumming also might help. "Throw a few 'tweets' up on your page. This will make you look active."

Problem is, when it comes to social networks, I'm about as active as a hibernating woodchuck. This could all change, of course, given time and the right incentives. Maybe the fog will lift, only to reveal fascinating pathways to a richer life made possible through the magic of social networking.

But I still wouldn't buy a cell phone.