I didn't expect this to happen. I never thought I would be in this position, but here I am. It wormed its way into my internet usage and I think I would actually be sad if I had to give it up.
Now, lest anyone think I have gone overboard on the Twitter Kool-Aid, let me clarify that I still think at least 90 per cent of Twitter is crap, but I realize that just puts it in line with the rest of the Internet.
Over the last two months, I truly have enjoyed the instant and generally random communication with my friends (especially the Tuxedo Mask conversation) and reading the random headlines they come up with (incidentally, I think that Twitter needs a "like" function, but I digress). Also, I've discovered I like posting my own thoughts in 140 characters or less. It's much more me than a blog post.
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| Photo from cnn.com |
I feel that following #Egypt and reporters like Ben Wedeman and Anderson Cooper while they were on the ground during the revolution in Egypt on Twitter connected me to the story in a way I had never experienced before. I knew what was really happening in real time, with no commercial breaks. No talking heads got in the way; it was just the news as people who were there saw it happening literally right before their eyes, all day, every day.
In online PR class on Thursday, we were shown this CBC news report about how social media helps in times of crisis. Keith Boag sums up how it was used to help Haiti pretty nicely. The truth is, social media has connected us all on a whole new level, and, as the report shows, the possibilities are endless.
So, what's my point? I suppose it's simply that I am happy I get to be a part of it. It's a remarkable medium that has changed global communication permanently. It can simultaneously be frivolous, fun, powerful and revolutionary. That's quite the accomplishment for 140 characters.
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