"What are you doing?"
This is a question that is answered by millions of Twitter users daily.
Everyone from celebrities to members of Congress to top news organizations such as CNN and The New York Times have accounts on the Web site, which allows users to to post a 140-character microblog.
The Web site has become a phenomenon. It has jumped in popularity 1,382 percent between February 2008 to February of this year, according to Neilsen NetView.
Students at Cosumnes River College recall a time when Twitter wasn't nearly as popular as it is now.
"I remember seeing people use Twitter last year, and no one really cared about it," said 19-year-old biology major Jessica Steele, who has yet to create an account on the Web site. "And now it's all I hear about. I can't seem to go a day without hearing about it."
While some students aren't familiar with Twitter, Jessica Molinas, a 20-year-old communications major said she is addicted.
"I update my status every 20 minutes or so," she said. "When I'm in class, at work, before I go to sleep and as soon as I get up. It has become part of my daily routine."
In fact, Molinas said she is so addicted that when she tried to give up using the Web site for a day, she ended up changing her mind by noon.
"I don't think that Twitter will ever become obsolete in my life," Molinas said. "I think that five or six years from now, I'll be tweeting from my wedding."
Others said that Twitter has already outgrown its popularity.
"I used it back when no one else did. It was so much better then," said 27-year-old sociology major John Santos, who cancelled his account in November. "Now people update their status with the most immature things. I don't care to read that someone is washing dishes or taking a nap. It's just not interesting anymore."
In February, Twitter's main demographic consisted of users ages 35 to 49, comprising almost 42 percent of the site's audience, according to Neilsen NetView.
"I always thought Twitter was for the young kids, but my daughter got me to use it and I really like it," said 38-year-old psychology major Sandra Jonesco, who has been a user for four months. "It keeps me hip and feeling young."
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