Is social media like Twitter the end of small talk?

"Action speaks louder than words, but not nearly as often," wrote the 19th Century author Mark Twain. Although he courted more than his fair share of controversies, Twain lived at a time when public and published words were possessed by a minority. Mere talk - those mundane conversations and concerns his wit so carefully skewered - existed far from worldly words and actions.

Eleven decades after the author's death, such boundaries are less certain.

Recent events on Twitter show it is now time to consider the unintended consequences of our very public online conversations, says Tom Chatfield.

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