The other day I saw an ironic post on Twitter. It was about how Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter are distracting Americans from real discussion and interaction, while at the same time, pulling them away from traditional literary attractions, namely books. Hmmm... I don't buy this because at its core, social media mechanisms like Twitter fulfill two often overlooked needs. First, people naturally want to create. Likewise, we want to share our creations with others. Second, people want to build lasting alliances and relationships with like-minded individuals. Aps like Twitter help people to identify and link up with link-minded individuals.
Now, as to the criticism that Twitter and the like pulls us away from traditional literary attractions, I couldn't disagree more. I find Twitter to be a great reference source for interesting literature. I've received excellent recommendations for not only books but other publications, like magazines and newsletters. And I have also welcomed plenty of movie recommendations, as well...
-Amir Said
I wonder why the rise of one medium has to be equivalent to the death of another. TV was supossed to kill radio, but it is still shaping the lives of people around the globe(regardless of the corporae formatting of stations).
If anything, social media is bringing more eyes and ideas to the various interests of an individual or group.
Posted by: Scott Scotch | December 23, 2008 at 04:37 PM