When most people think about social media, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is a socializing tool that can connect people from all around the world. Twitter is no different. Many people judging it by the surface of an app that is used to share thoughts and nothing much beyond that. That is not the limit of what Twitter can be used for. Twitter can be used as a source of important worldwide information. Many people get their news directly from Twitter as opposed to seeing it on television. This app is so quick and generates information so quickly that it is one of the most efficient ways to receive news in the world. This was evident in 2013 when the Boston Marathon Bombings took place. Writer, Simon Ricketts discusses how information about the bombing came about, himself and his colleagues got their information right away from Twitter. They did not have to wait around for a newscaster to report it, or for an article to be written. They got information within seconds of it happening. In 2017 in Houston when the streets were filled with water from rainfall, the 9-1-1 lines were too clogged so people had to tweet to get help if they needed it! Another example of how Twitter can be used as a positive tool and not just a fun app is during the Paris terrorist attacks in November of 2015. The news of the attack spread almost instantly as it seemed the whole world was showing their support as they tweeted “#PrayForParis.” It was a time where everybody seemed to put their differences aside and came together to stand up to injustice. In Egypt, Twitter is used as a great organizing tool. On January 25th of 2011, when thousands of people came together in protest in Tahrir Square to overthrow the president after thirty years! Twitter was a huge component in organizing this protest. It is crazy to see how much Twitter has came to be used as a positive tool of change.
Twitter is an incredibly useful tool. It is simple to use and easy to pick up on. Also, there is a character limit of 280, so the blurbs are easy to scan through for readers. These are reasons why it is so popular to use Twitter for journalistic and political tool. Sometimes readers do not want to read an entire article of explanation and detail, they just want to read the major and most important parts. Because Twitter has such a strict character limit, it forces the author to state only what is needed when announcing something or making a point. This comes off as being very authentic to the readers when the things that are said are only what needs to be said. When it comes to politics, Twitter has completely changed the game. With a large percentage of people getting their news primarily from social media, it is very important that politicians have a social media presence. If not, there is a good chance that a large percentage of voters will not even hear of them. A politician putting out a good tweet that garners a lot of positive attention can do just as much for them as any television appearance can. Twitter is a criteria that journalistic outlets and politicians need to have in order to succeed in the world today.
Twitter can raise awareness for many things. One of these thing was the number of artists who died over the past year from overdosing on drugs. This has raised awareness on issues of mental illness and drug abuse, and brings into question on whether these things are glorified or not. Several artists such as rapper, Russ, goes on Twitter regularly to speak on these issues and how people should be more aware and considerate of others lives. The conversation of mental illness has never been more loud and that is in large part due to Twitter. Another event that people are becoming more aware of due to Twitter are the recent fires in California. Many people have tweeted out links on ways to support and donate to people who are struggling because of these natural disasters. Many people would not have even know of these fires if it was not for Twitter, unless they watch the news regularly. Similar to the fires in California, another event that many would not have know about if not for Twitter is the October earthquakes in Haiti. Another devastating natural disaster that many people were raising awareness and donation pools through Twitter. If it wasn’t for this app, people could easily miss big events just because they were not watching the television at a certain time. But with Twitter it is easy to stay updated because of the freedom and constant conversation on the app.
Complex (@complex), Anthony Fantano (@theneedledrop) and Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) are three different outlets that represent this time period well. Complex represents a magazine that saw the direction that journalism was heading and adapted to the times. They have an immense social media presence over Twitter, YouTube, SnapChat and Instagram. They seem to focus more on the social media aspect rather than their print magazine aspect because they have realized that is what gets them more attention and ultimately more money. Anthony Fantano and Logan Paul are two people whose success came strictly through social media.If it was not for social media, these people would not be relevant. It is a direct link. They both gained popularity through YouTube and added to that success through other platforms of social media. They are two great examples of how to market through social media and to make a high paying career out of it. It is amazing to see people make themselves successful from nothing but their own creative process and vision. Although some things that Logan Paul did in order to gain attention, such as filming a dead body in the forest, is despicable and not morally correct, one can not argue his success, number of followers, and certainly not his bank account.
Twitter is truly a unique form of social media. Focused on sharing thoughts rather than pictures or connecting with friends. One of the best parts about it is that there is a character limit of 280 characters. If people want to share their thoughts, they must fit within that word count meaning that the tweets are more calculated than a blog post, or even a facebook post where there is an unlimited amount of characters. The focus on the app isn’t to get attention or to show cool things, it is to spread information easily to the world. Twitter is convenient and has completely changed the way that people consume news forever.
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