The world has come a long way from the days of having to write letters in order to communicate over long distances. In this year of 2011 there are now several different ways of communicating and recently one of the more popular ways has been via Twitter. Twitter, the site where you can keep up with the thoughts of your favorite celebrities and stay updated on the news of the world.
I joined Twitter a year ago and I understand the attraction to it. It's fun to be able to stand on your own "soapbox" and voice your opinion to your "followers and people that you follow. I would describe twitter almost as a chat room. I've been able to talk with a many friends and people I've met from the past. I've also been able to chat with people I've never met before just because we share common interests.
Twitter is also good for staying in touch with some of the events going on in the world. If a large amount of people found something interesting or news worthy, you better believe it will be "trending" worldwide. I found out about the Japan earthquake and tsunamis via Twitter. I wouldn't be surprised if Twitter eventually becomes the number one destination for many people who seek the latest news. But would it be a good thing for people to choose Twitter as their prime choice for news? I suppose only time will tell.
I joined Twitter a year ago and I understand the attraction to it. It's fun to be able to stand on your own "soapbox" and voice your opinion to your "followers and people that you follow. I would describe twitter almost as a chat room. I've been able to talk with a many friends and people I've met from the past. I've also been able to chat with people I've never met before just because we share common interests.
Twitter is also good for staying in touch with some of the events going on in the world. If a large amount of people found something interesting or news worthy, you better believe it will be "trending" worldwide. I found out about the Japan earthquake and tsunamis via Twitter. I wouldn't be surprised if Twitter eventually becomes the number one destination for many people who seek the latest news. But would it be a good thing for people to choose Twitter as their prime choice for news? I suppose only time will tell.
Twitter becoming the prime news source would be a blow to the intellect of humanity. Although Twitter is probably great for hearing that some event happened (tsunami, earthquake, war in the middle east), it kills thoughtful analysis. Careful thought and deliberation on even a single subject requires far more time that it takes to send of a dozen relatively meaningless tweets. The whole setup and idea of Twitter is even anti-intellectual. There is almost nothing anybody can say in the space of 250 characters that can have intellectual benefit. Even the word Twitter itself is based on a brainless activity that birds do constantly.
ReplyDeleteThis is not to say that Twitter can be a helpful tool of the news, leading reporters to an interesting event or drawing media's attention to a little know area. For first response and finding a story, I have no objections to Twitter. After that, however, Twitter should be relegated to an extremely insignificant role in the analysis that must follow.
Devin
Twitter has become a world wide system that is used daily. It has kept alot of people connected with following each other and keeping up with the latest news. It likes almost having a friend close to you when they live far away. Joe
ReplyDeleteI love Twitter, but not to catch up on the latest news...I follow people who say funny/interesting things and my closest friends to keep up with what they are doing- although I probably should not have to check my twitter to keep up with what my "closest" friends are up to, now that I think about it. All of these forms of social networking are supposed to keep us connected, and I think they do in alot of ways, but in a sense I think they also separate us more- having so many platforms to speak our own minds and opinions encourages us to do so on such an individual level that we don't have to have concern for anyone else when "tweeting" or updating our FB statuses. Just like you said, Twitter provides a place for everyone to stand on their own soapbox and talk about whatever thy want whether anyone cares or not... Something to think about.
ReplyDeleteChristine
It seems to me that relying on Twitter for news only allows for a very small type of newsworthy information. it's unlikely that any kind of investigative journalism or things of that kind would end up on Twitter. It's true that Twitter can, however, help us keep in touch with local events, which is certainly a good thing, but I don't think it can really replace the kind of news sources we have grown used to. It's a new, different thing, and in my opinion not really comparable to past media.
ReplyDeleteConnor
I wonder if the difference between news and gossip is relevant to this discussion? I can see how a short, undigested piece of news could spread quickly, but there does seem to be a point at which more in depth understanding is needed. As far as personal tweets go, how is twitter better or different from facebook, which seems to allow for more focused conversation?
ReplyDeleteI do agree that twitter is a great source for breaking information, but when you see something trending on twitter, you don't necessarily know what is happening. 'Japan earthquake' may trend for a while, but unless you delve into the issue, you would not know what has happened. It could've been the same magnitude as the Oklahoma earthquake for all you know. It is because of this that it will never be a full-on news source. You can't write a story in 140 characters.
ReplyDelete-Ryan Gerbosi
I actually hate to admit this but I get all of my news from Facebook and twitter. When I found out about japan, and osama bin laden being killed It was because of these websites. I no longer watch television or read the newspaper so if something big is going on in the world, those websites are how I find out. Who knows maybe they will be the next up and coming news sites. Macey Flowers
ReplyDelete