@Jack : One could change the world with one hundred and forty characters.
On February 8th 2007, a small crowd of family and friends read online that exact, simple "tweet". It was on that day Jack Dorsey and his companions realized that Twitter would redefine communications and become one of the most important forms of social media in the world. Indeed, I believe Twitter has changed the world. It has joined together people from all walks of life.Tony Hawk, the Dalai Lama, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Pope Benedict XVI, your cousin and the peacock that escaped from the Bronx Zoo in New York all "tweet". My dogs even have a Twitter account! Yep, I went there. The real beauty of Twitter that brings people together is that it is so simple. Fast and easy real-time updates in the coveted one hundred and forty character form are sent directly to your cell phone via text message; no smart phone needed! This is good news because according to a new study by PEW Internet and American Life Project, only 35% of all cell phone owners sport a smart phone. Pew Internet Study Twitter's short format messages insure that no text goes beyond a one page viewing area on a cell phone. This design is perfect for pay per text plan users or plans with small data packages. You can complete your messages with a picture or have a real-time location added to your "tweet" thanks to Twitpic and Google Maps.
During the 2008 elections, Twitter changed how Americans kept up with their favorite candidates. Canidiates and their parties heavily used social media tools to keep track of their followers, answer questions, organize campaign events and keep tabs on the competition. Even though Twitter was fairly new to the general public, Barack Obama's total Twitter followers numbered 118,107 during his campaign giving him a landslide Twitter victory over John McCain who only had 4,942 followers. The 2012 elections are sure to generate a lot of tweets since many of the candidates have already started Twitter accounts for their campaigns. Social media Obama vs McCain
Twitter also changed the way that the world receives breaking news, news from space and disaster alerts. On May 12th 2009, the first space tweet from Mike Massimino @astro_mike was sent and NASA has been hooked ever since. Astronauts have tweeted pictures of the Aurora Australis dancing above the Earth. They also captured the furious Sarychev Peak volcano eruption and relayed information to help Air Traffic Control in the area. When the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, news broadcasters and ordinary people were updating everyone through Twitter. In the aftermath, people on Twitter and Facebook organized relief efforts, reunited loved ones and kept distant family members connected with up to the minute information. Recently during Hurricane Irene, government officials, the Red Cross and FEMA asked people to reduce the burden on phone services by instead tweeting. CNET NEWS This kept the phone lines available for emergency workers. With one hundred and forty characters, I believe Twitter has definitely changed the world.
First off very clever using twitter to blog about. I find this posting helful as well as entertaining saying, "my dogs even have a twitter account"! It is helful to me because I have never tweeted before and to know that so many people are tweeters makes me more willing to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteVery good blog Audia! You have set the stage for the rest of us. Your observations of the diverse uses of Twitter clearly support your topic “Changing the World”, I never know the total number of twitter post for both candidates, I believe Twitter and social media awareness were brought to the forefront for so many who never used media as a tool in diverse environments. Again, very interesting article. FYI - I agree with Tony, a very clever use of Twitter for your dogs!
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