Claire Cain Miller of The New York Times wrote a story that reveals something I thought was common knowledge: Teenagers aren’t using Twitter. While teenagers have a reputation for adopting new technology quickly, that hasn’t been the case with Twitter. Miller offers a few theories on why this might be the case. For one thing, teens seem to think Twitter is a service geared more toward adults, particularly in the way many companies and individuals use Twitter as a promotional tool (guilty as charged). Teens tend to prefer other social networks like MySpace or Facebook.

Another reason Miller offers is that Twitter doesn’t really work the way it was originally pitched. When Twitter premiered, the idea behind the service was that it would let users stay in touch with a network of friends. You could keep up with what your pals were up to and they could do the same with you. If you wanted to organize a quick get-together or coordinate a group event, Twitter could help you relay the message across a wide group of friends. You wouldn’t have to send out dozens of e-mails or text messages.

While I’m sure some Twitter users follow that model, it seems to me that the majority of people using Twitter do so for other reasons. Some use it to promote a project or product. Others use it to make jokes or voice an opinion about a subject to encourage debate and discussion. And of course you have all the people who want to follow celebrities so that they can learn more about the human being behind the fame. But for teens who just want to stay in touch with a circle of friends, Twitter doesn’t seem practical.