@MichelleDaPyon
For some
time, Twitter has been a very popular social network to express thoughts in
less than 140 characters. Out of all of the many social medias out there, Twitter
is one of the simplest forms. One does not have to put a lot of thought
analysis when they are typing these “tweets.” It is instantaneous, mostly
informal and often permanent. Because of these features, Twitter has been
utilized in many ways and Twitter can convey its messages differently, depending
on how the user intends to use this site.
To begin with, the user has the
option to decide whether they would like their tweets to appear publically or
not. Typically, the “tweets” are public to anyone, who has access to the internet.
As a user, they can decide what they would like to post about to whomever they
want. For an example, celebrities will typically try to target their fans by updating
them about what they are doing. This includes, promoting a new single,
concerts, any endorsements they are paid to say something about, and what they
believe in (religion, current events, etc). Whereas, political candidates may
tweet about what they intend to do in office, their current projects and other
campaigning propaganda. The tone for each of these groups of people will be
very different. Celebrities may try to relate with their fans, so they might
tweet to their fans as if they were their friend. Politicians may also do this,
but as a notable person of society, they will most likely tweet more formally
than the celebrities. A tweet’s tone can
range from being serious or being comical; formal versus informal. Tweets
basically comes down to depend on the content and audience, when it comes to
the type of tones.
To be quite honest, there are no specific boundaries
whatsoever when it comes to tweets. Anyone can tweet about whatever they like. Since
Twitter is similar to a blog, users can tweet about their life, thoughts,
pictures and videos about anything. The only exception to this that most people
seem to follow is to not tweet about your personal information online; an
obvious rule of thumb when it comes to using a social network. Then, if other
people are interested in what you have to say, then they have the option to “follow”
you.
When composing a tweet, one may sometimes put
in a “hashtag.” Hashtags were made so that anyone could search certain words or
phrases on the site easily. TV shows, like the local news, sometimes uses the
concept of hashtags to receive tweets that pertain to what people think about
the issues they talk about on the show. Some of the popular hashtags that have
been developed over time are the “#ThrowbackThursdays,” “#selfie,” and “#nofilter.”
These hashtags would often refer to the content of the tweet. For instance, “#ThrowbackThursdays”
are meant to be posted on Thursdays and the user would reflect upon what they
have done in the past, usually with a photograph, if available. With or without hashtags, Twitter has been
programmed to pick up on everyone’s tweets and have collected the most commonly
used words or phrases on the “trending” part of the site. This informs the user
of what is currently trending in the world, around them or wherever they are
interested in.
Personally, I started my own Twitter
account to keep up with certain celebrities I was interested in and to use
Twitter as an easier way to keep a diary of my life. Knowing that I did not
have any followers at the beginning has allowed me to feel as though I could
get away with tweeting about anything. Later, I was able to find my own
community of people to communicate about our shared interests. Over time, my
Twitter account has significantly changed from what I had originally intended
to do. My audience changed from myself or for a random passerby to a community
where I tweet passionately about what I feel or think about. Instead of tweeting
about instances that occur in my life, I am now communicating with all kinds of
people, collectively sharing ideas. Although Twitter may not be as eloquent as
the diary entries or letters of historical figures of the past, I view Twitter
as one of the ways of recording history. This way, we are able to see the
different perspectives of an issue from all kinds of people; more collective evidence
than the few historians who have recorded history in the past. The tweets may
not be as organized or accurately stated, but who is to say what “has happened”
is completely accurate from the collection of writings we have analyzed in the past?
Twitter, in my opinion, is a great way to find one’s own niche and to explore
many people’s ideas in a very convenient way.
This is a good blog about the use of the social media platform, Twitter. I like how you used comparison, contrast, and analysis to help prove your point. For example, when you said that, “a tweet’s tone can range from being serious or being comical; formal versus informal; tweets basically come down to depend on the content and audience, when it comes to the type of tones,” I was pretty elaborated and convinced about how Twitter actually works. I have a twitter account myself, and even though I don’t use it as much anymore, I still see people making tweets about what they like and what they believe in, which kind if bothers me because normally people should keep their opinions to themselves. But overall, you did a great job with this blog and this particular blog of yours made me better understand how the use of Twitter can have an effect on people eventually.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is a great genre to analyze! I can relate to how twitter began as a way, for me, to follow celebrities to then finding many of my friends on there. Twitter is like our generation’s “public diary.” You are able to go back and view all of your tweets and see what you were thinking or doing in the past. It is also a great way to share ideas, information and news. When there was a wild fire in San Diego a few years ago, some twitter accounts were helpful because they gave me live updates as to what was going on. Twitter is unique because you are able to follow a variety of different accounts such as your friends, news stations and even celebrities. You did a great job in analyzing the different aspects of twitter such as the hashtags, who you follow and tweets typically look like. I think twitter is interesting because it allows us to expand our mindset by reading what other people’s opinions are about particular events. I always like reading what other people have to say.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you talked about the evolution of your twitter account and connections you have made with the people who were enjoying your tweets. I think the news and the media give a lot of attention to the negative aspects of social media and how it can be dangerous, addicting, stupid, etc. Your project builder sheds light on the power of social media and what a positive influence it can have. By talking about how you found a community of people that you interact with and learn from, you demonstrate that social media has the capacity to expose people to thoughts, ideas, and people that they would have never otherwise been able to be exposed to. I used to have a twitter account too and originally got it to keep up with celebrities. Later, I started following different comedians and other funny accounts and would check my twitter whenever I was bored and wanted to get a good laugh.
ReplyDelete