This document discusses research into how and why people use the social media platform Twitter. It begins by defining Twitter and providing statistics on its growth. The research aims to understand the differences between Twitter and blogs or social networking sites. An online survey was conducted with 197 respondents. The results found that Twitter is used to stay connected even from a distance, as a news source, to maintain weaker ties, and as a life log. Users reported Twitter decreasing their use of other platforms and increasing real-world interactions and word-of-mouth recommendations. Different types of users were identified through cluster analysis.