Steven Johnson’s article, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live”, argues that Twitter and innovations in social networking will revolutionize the way humans connect with one another.
I believe that if these sites and technologies are to be used effectively, we must learn how to use them responsibly and avoid “addiction to micro-events.” Johnson never seems to mention how time consuming Twitter can be and how humans can develop an unhealthy reliance. He also discusses how these innovations are a form of social creativity because the medium is constantly changing and evolving. I feel that social creativity should also be viewed in terms of what we do when technology and situations are static. Preserving storytelling, campfire-esque songs and games and other sorts of traditional social behaviors deserve recognition in this conversation.
I do agree that the potential accomplishments are incredible! People with passions will be able to better gather information and act on what they feel is truly their calling. It is very limiting in terms of information access. Its also amazing how malleable these seemingly set technologies can be. Twitter can be similar to a tabloid but it can also serve to unite political activists, teachers, students, parents and all member of a community.
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Nice reflection. I too appreciate the phrase, "addiction to micro-events"! Can Twitter and all the other social networking tools coexist with campfire stories & songs?
ReplyDeleteTwitter does have the potential and power to unite and be uselful... it will be interesting to watch this phenomenon continue to unfold!