I have a feeling that a lot of the attention Twitter is getting is because Twitter generates a lot of attention because of the attention they're getting.
In other words, once the novelty wears off, then what?
If Twitter generates 10N units of hype for every N units of substance, it's a huge advantage. If everyone's paying the same cost for their substance, Twitter's getting the highest possible return. It may never live up to the hype, but it'll be more than it would have been without the hype.
In other words, once the novelty wears off, then what?