What are YOU Doing?

Alex Lasota
April 9, 2009
Jason Farman
Essay 4
Word Count: 787

           What Are You Doing: An Inside Look at one of today’s most popular interfaces

         With the advent of new technologies on the rise each and every year, and our societies constant demand for rapid communication tools, it seems fitting that Twitter has become one of the largest social networking sites across the globe today.  This free digital communication tool, has introduced its users to a whole new realm of instant communication.  Unlike many other social networking sites, Twitter takes pride in its one hundred and forty character limitation barrier, which has most commonly been referred to as ‘tweets.’  Tweets enable individuals across the globe the capability of micro-blogging anywhere, anytime, to anyone. No longer do individuals have to physically position themselves in front of a computer screen, but instead can translate their inner thoughts and emotions to the world, all through their cellular device. Twitter Users not only have the capability of informing society of their own thoughts, but also allows its users the access to explore other individual’s micro-blogs through ‘following.’   Individuals are thence able to subscribe to any individuals micro-blog, all in hopes to virtually connect a large mass of people in real time.  The popularity of this social networking site has also enticed other social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, to embrace the “what are you doing,” logo onto their own networking sites.  
        After continually evaluating the novels and articles of our ancestors, it is quite apparent that many historical figures throughout history have undergone a type of censorship in their lives.  Individuals such as John Milton whom wrote articles such as “Areopagetica”  , have been known to persistently attempt to dismantle this power influx, through their pivotal articles and novels.  However, because of the timely and costly constraint of the particular medium they were utilizing (print), their attempt was never entirely successful, for their distribution could not reach a mass influx of individuals.  It is quite obvious today, that in 2009, this power influx has undergone a major transformation.  No longer do only the privileged political figures have the power of communicating to a mass audience.  With the advent of blogging, individuals were thence able to transcribe their thoughts, ideas, and emotions to whomever took the time to read them.  And in 2006, blogging itself underwent a massive remediation. Founder Jack Dorsey weighed in on the heightened popularity of Internet blogging…and found a way to enable communication at a much faster pace.  Funded by Obvious in 2006, Twitter then took on a life of its own (Jones 146).  Dorsey’s simple and basic idea of virtually communicating through instant messages eliminates the social barriers our history has taken pride in. The power of the author is no longer privileged to the countries elitists; but is instead, open to each and every individual across the globe.  It is simple, the more followers you have, the more capability you have to reach out and make a difference.  While popular figureheads of pop culture today, like Barrack Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, and Good Morning America, may have the capability of inhabiting more followers because of their celebrity…everyday individuals are also capable of establishing their own credibility online.  All individuals are thence able to interact with one another, and the boundaries are thus removed. This then rids society of its social dynamic structure, allowing the people to communally express bits and pieces of information without any hierarchy of power.  

       These popular texts based posts, have condescended and simplified older forms of communication in a timely manner.  Because of the mobility of its infrastructure, Twitter has taken on a life of its own, and has enabled individuals to connect with each other in new ways. Josh Bernoff argues in his article “Groundswell” that  “Twitter doesn’t add media to existing forms of communication like blogging and texting, but instead permits people to broadcast and subscribe to a constant stream of content in a new place: the mobile phone” (Bernoff 20) .  Unlike any medium ever before, Twitter allows the globe to stay simultaneously connected to one another at all hours of the day.  Through its frequent distribution of tweets, individuals are able to build founding relationships, relay information, gather support, transverse ideas, broadcast knowledge, and keep in touch with those around them.  Twitter doesn’t care who you are, what you do, how much you know, or how little, but instead only poses the question “What are you doing?” Unlike any other medium before, twitter inches forward each and everyday to globalization, allowing individuals to stay virtually connected in real time.

                                                         Work Cited

 

Bernoff, Josh. “Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. Harvard Business Press, 2008.

Jones, Bradley. Web 2.0 Heroes: Interviews with 20 Web 2.0 Influencers John Wiley and Sons, 2008.