Real Life Twitter
I didn’t intend for the this blog to only discuss Twitter, but apparently the world thinks Twitter is interesting, because I am bombarded with story ideas everyday.
We spoke in class about a production that would illustrate Twitter in real life. Well gosh darnit, CollegeHumor took our idea. Really though-we could produce an incredible production about social media in real life. Summer project anyone?
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Tags: collegehumor.com, twitter
Swoon for Swine
While social media is arguably one of the most innovative communication tools in recent years, it is unfortunately a double edged sword.
In the past, dealing with news such as the recent Swine Flu Epidemic would require audiences to check the news regularly, talk to friends, or read local newspapers. But, thanks to social media (specifically, Twitter) we can have minute-to-minute updates on where the epidemic is being reported, what is being done, and how we will be affected. By searching trends within Twitter, one can view a constantly refreshing page of updates in relation to swine flu, all hashtagged “swineflu.”
In addition, the WHO has built a “Health Map” to track the flu across the world. This allows users to zoom into specific regions and view the cases there.
Both tracking devices provide excellent information…if used correctly. Although I am an avid user of Twitter and have been paying attention to the Swine Flu coverage for my own well-being, I do it with an understanding that the information may be incorrect. Because of Twitter’s accessibility, anyone can tweet about the epidemic and potentially be read by millions of people. What if Nancy Joe in Kansas thinks her daughter has Swine Flu and begins to tweet about her symptoms, claiming that it’s a sure thing? I don’t really have to answer that…
Even here in Austin within the past few hours, I have seen several misleading reports. There is a girl infected, there isn’t a girl infected. There are children at Dell Children’s Hospital being quarantined, there aren’t children at Dell Children’s Hospital…..you get the picture. In fact, several local journalists have practically been on damage control all day today. Omar Gallaga, the always awesome tech journalist at The Austin American Statesman, actually wrote a “Don’t Panic!” post making many of the same arguments I made above.
What interests me the most about this phenomenon, however, is my own reaction to the news. As I said before, I read each tweet with the understanding that it may be false…with the exception of a few. As if it were 1994, I continue to put my trust in the hands of professional journalists and pay particular attention to the information being given from accounts such as The Statesman and CNN. In my mind, these people use Twitter just as they were writing an article: they check the facts first. Unlike random Nancy Joe, their job is to report the news correctly. Changing mediums doesn’t mean changing standards.
I guess what I’m saying is…if you’re going into journalism, don’t lose hope. Yes, 90% of the public can now do your job and simply report the news. But, will they report it accurately? Will they have the resources to gather all the facts? Probably not.
Swine Flu may come and go, but journalism is here to stay.
Filed under: Journalism, Social Media, Technology | Leave a Comment
Tags: austin american statesman, CNN, omar gallaga, Social Media, swine flu, twitter
This week, I lost faith in my social media bubble of existence.
We are all aware that celebrities such as Britney Spears, Shaquil O’Neal, and Demi Moore jumped on board the Twitter train. However, until now, they merely co-existed with the rest of the “nendy” (nerdy + trendy) crowd.
This week, Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), decided to challenge the news network, CNN, to a race to 1 million. Kutcher commented on the state of our media by insisting that he could impact just as many people as an entire network. As with all celebrity brawls, however, there were petty shots. Larry King attacked Kutcher by saying “Do you know how big we are? Do you know what CNN is?!” Nevertheless, Kutcher continued the fight and prevailed early Friday morning around 2:00am. CNN also reached 1 million followers…only a half hour later.
The race itself did not bother me. We should be used to these online cattle drives by now considering the floods of Facebook groups touting “1 million to bring back the old Facebook!” or “1000 and I’ll shave my back!”
In actuality, it was the backlash of this experiment that has disheartened me. After seeing Kutcher’s success, Oprah decided to make a huge statement, and join Twitter. Now, Oprah is not God; and she is certainly NOT Michelle Obama, but she is extremely influential in pop culture. In my opinion, her decision to take part in this new media experience will revolutionize Twitter. We may see soccer moms organizing weekly snacks via Twitter, single dads trading healthy recipes via Twitter, or maybe retired grandparents grumbling about last week’s Bingo game via Twitter. Whatever the outcome, us social media enthusiasts will need to make some room on board the nerd ship.
Unfortunately, we are already experiencing growing pains. Some “haters” just launched HereBeforeOprah, a site dedicated to demeaning Twitter users that are likely joining due to Oprah’s popularity. And just in case you are worried that followers doubt your authenticity, you can tweet the result to everyone (hooray for self-importance!)
Yes, Twitter is still not entirely mainstream and yes, the majority of users work in technology. But, that is not its goal. Twitter is not meant to be an elitist society of users that wear FailWhale shirts and have Tweet-ups to talk about how they use Twitter.
If soccer moms want to join Twitter, who cares? The best part about using Twitter is that….hold on, this may be difficult to grasp….you CHOOSE who to follow. It’s not like Facebook where you are bloated with external group requests and follow requests and highligher parties with friends from 6th grade. Twitter allows you to create your own network of followers.
How is communication expected to advance if users feel that only a certain number of people are entitled to its use? I am excited to see the outcome of this revolution in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more insight into our constantly evolving communication system.
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Tags: Ashton Kutcher, Britney Spears, CNN, communication, Demi Moore, Facebook, Larry King, Oprah, Race to 1 Million, Technology, twitter
Tweet All About It!
Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone, was the guest on Stephen Colbert’s “The Colbert Report” Thursday night and made quite an appearance. Known for his comedic routines, Colbert poked fun at the ridiculousness of tweeting, its rudeness, and the general lack of necessity for twitter. His most memorable line IMO was when he claimed that Twitter was “the answer to a problem we didn’t know existed until you (Stone) created the answer.” Stone, however, was a good sport the entire time, even refraining from correcting Colbert when he referred to what members write as “twits,” rather than “tweets.” I, on the other hand, yelled at the computer screen that Colbert didn’t do proper research before injecting Twitter vocabulary into his questions! Really, I’m not an anal nerd, I swear…
Click the image below to watch Stone’s entire interview:
Filed under: Social Media, Technology | 1 Comment
Tags: Biz Stone, Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, twitter
This morning, The Guardian made an earth-shattering announcement: it will be moving its entire publication to the micro-blogging service, Twitter. Twitter allows users to post updates, comments, and discussion to an audience of followers. However, there is a small catch-a very small catch. All “tweets” must be written in 140 characters or less.
Critics of this new business model argue that the news cannot sufficiently be communicated in 140 characters. However, experts insist that this is the future of journalism. In fact, The Guardian will even be archiving all past news events within Twitter to reflect the new change. An example of past breaking news is: “JFK assassin8d @ Dallas, def. Heard second gunshot from grassy knoll WTF?”
Twitter has arguably become the most used social networking service currently on the web. In the past few months, its popularity has increased due to the presence of celebrities and politicians. Therefore, The Guardian’s decision to transfer its efforts to the Twitter platform only perpetuates our technological savvy and communication skills.
Reporters no longer need to verify facts. They can simply search the twitter stream for corresponding data and quotes. And forget spending hours editing articles so that they roll off the tongue. Twitter begs for shortened words, acronyms that no one understands, and things that you would never actually say IRL.
News will be spontaneous and exciting again. This is a revolution in the making and I expect to see several other large publications moving their content over to Twitter in the following months.
Get in on the groundbreaking discussion. Follow @guardiannews and stay tuned for a constant stream of news flooding into your twitter account every single day. News FTW!
Filed under: Journalism, Social Media, Technology | Leave a Comment
Tags: april fool's 2009, Journalism, newspaper, publication, Social Media, the guardian, twitter
R.I.P. Encarta
As of October 1st 2009, Microsoft’s digital Encyclopedia, Encarta, will be discontinued. Microsoft made the announcement yesterday to a stunned online audience.
Wait, did I say stunned? I think that was a typo. Anyone actually paying attention to this announcement should more or less be shunned.
To be honest, I was under the impression that Encarta had already tanked years ago. If it weren’t for the press release discussing its demise, I wouldn’t have known that it actually existed. Sure, I cited Encarta for all of my papers, speeches, and intellectual discussions. But then again, that was 1999. The year 2000 changed the face of Encyclopedias forever by introducing us to the god of information: Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is a web-based Encyclopedia that is free and created entirely by users. Encarta fired back years later with a BB gun sized response and allowed users to “suggest” content, but the process was slow and embarrassing. In addition, the mere attraction of a new social media platform with an easily navigated user interface sort of blew cannonballs through the pasty cubicles of Microsoft.
So, let us all take a moment of silence and remember the good times. Slow loading times, frequent errors, and outdated content. Encarta: you will not be missed.
Filed under: Technology | Leave a Comment
Tags: digital Encyclopedia, Encarta, Encyclopedia, Microsoft, Wikipedia
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