I too was once a Twitter sceptic, much like Johnson in his article ‘How Twitter Will Change The Way We Live’. When I found out that we had to create a Twitter account for DIGC202 I resentfully created a username and stared blankly at the empty Twitter feed on my computer screen. What could anyone really have to say in 140 characters that would be interesting enough for me to want to follow them and then be inundated with updates from them on a daily basis.Now, while I’m still not a fanatic Twitter lover, I have seen its benefits and the way it creates and shapes a conversation and creates taste communities where opinions are free to be shared, agreed upon and challenged. And to be perfectly honest, I still get a little bit excited when I get retweeted or replied too. The power of the hash tag on Twitter has shaped the way people communicate and gives users the ability to filter through information that interests them.
I still really don’t care about what the people I’m following had for breakfast; but I have found that #digc202 has given me a new perspective of how I view global networks. It doesn’t take a global meeting to get the world talking about important issues; all it takes is a 140 character post. This post has the ability to enlighten others on a new way of thinking, ignite debate and personally I think makes us all feel like our opinions are valued in such a fast moving world.
I too was a twitter sceptic and resentfully signed up just for this subject. Since then I have grown to appreciate the 140 character limit as I think it reflects perfectly on our current generation and our need for immediacy.. I think one of the main reasons for Twitters success is its 'cut the crap, tell me what I need to know and tell me now' approach.
ReplyDeleteI've been on Twitter for quite some time now, since 2009 to be exact. However, it's not since taking this DIGC202 subject have I fully understood how powerful Twitter actually is. Obviously Twitter is much more advanced now, but it's certainly interesting that a tweet being no more than 140 character can explain and broadcast so much.
ReplyDeleteI also was a twitter sceptic. I already had an account before digc and when revisiting it for this subject I noticed i'd only made 3 posts and I might as well have said what I had for breakfast. After tweeting regularly for this subject I am starting to see what the benefits are, the ones you also mentioned. Do you think though it can change the way we live?
ReplyDeleteHey Naomi,I too was not happy about joining the Twitter community, however after doing a semester of DIGC202 I see it's full potential. and now I could not speak higher of the news gathering capabilities it has, all you have to do is follow that #hash-tag and you have an up-to-date source of news coming from real people, not mass media outlets.
ReplyDeleteHey Naomi, I guess everyone was then a Twitter sceptic before getting involved with Twitter. I have a separate Twitter account for DIGC and for my personal use. Funny, I signed up for Twitter and did not have any knowledge of it at all. But I slowly learnt how Twitter works through DIGC classes. It's amazing how hastags could be so useful and efficient for news updates, especially to keep the flow of information.
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