Saturday, April 16, 2016

Tweet Tweet

Twitter is a social media platform that gives anyone a chance to be heard. Most people these days have a Twitter and if they don’t, its usually rare. Every organization and every business has their own Twitter account. Why? So that they can advertise and reach out to people in different audiences. Twitter can function as a way for people to communicate and find new people to talk to, as well as talking with friends. Celebrities have Twitters to reach out to fans or to tell the world what they are up to. Businesses have Twitter accounts to get their name out there and to advertise. However, Twitter has been used beyond socializing and marketing. Twitter has become a platform in which people can protest and argue. In the article, “What’s fueling Mideast protests? It’s more than Twitter,” Twitter is being used as a way for people to get together and communicate for protests. Twitter has been used for people to fight for their opinions and gather more people to participate. However, in the article, it stated that its not just social media fueling the fire. It is stated that the roots of the problem in the Mideast are much deeper and have been the main problem in the countries for years. 
            
            Twitter can be useful as a journalistic, political and organizational tool and it has really been helpful especially to journalists who struggle for people to read the news. People these days spend less and less time reading the news or even watching the news. There are less people reading the newspaper, which is a huge problem for journalists. To get people who are on social media to read the news, journalists, news stations and news papers will tweet out headlines and top stories of that day to engage people to click on the link in the Tweet. Younger people are on Twitter, so it’s a great way to reach out to the younger generation through Twitter to give them some type of news they might be interested in. Also, when there is a breaking story, news reporters can tweet out breaking events on what is happening at the scene to keep people updated. Twitter being used as a political platform is a great thing and a not so great thing. Politicians can reach out to everyone who is on Twitter and to let people know who are following them, get to know them better. For example, the 2016 presidency candidates have their own Twitter accounts and people can see what kind of stuff they talk about and if you think they are worth your time to follow. It’s a way for people to see if they like the way the candidate reaches out or if they are turned off by the candidate and by the way they post tweets. Twitter can be used as an organizational tool by having companies and organizations tweet out and advertise about what they are all about. An example of a company having a Twitter would be Pepsi or the SPCA. They tweet out tweets advertising a new product or a new program they are doing. For the SPCA, the organization might tweet out stories of animals being rescued or just giving out information on donating. It’s a way for companies to get their name out there and to lure people in to buy their products and services or to get people to donate.  

            Back in November, when terrorists attacked Paris, France, Twitter was one of the main platforms people got updated information on. Every news organization was tweeting out what happened, where it was happening, how many got hurt and where are the terrorists. People could turn on the TV and watch the breaking news on there, but Twitter was a much faster way of finding out what happened. Every couple minutes, news stations and reporters were tweeting out how many are hurt and if the shooting was still going on. The reporters kept everyone updated on what exactly was happening. Twitter was a successful tool used during this event and was a way to ensure people of what was going on and how to be safe if you are in that area. Another event in which Twitter was used was when the Pope visited the United States. Journalists and news organizations were constantly tweeting out where he was currently and what he will be doing next. People were really interested in what the Pope was up to during his visit to America. There were pictures and videos posted on Twitter and it was a great way for people to see the Pope. Another event Twitter was used was when Caitlyn Jenner was announced and shown to the public. People went wild over Twitter stating their opinions, good and bad. It was an event that was blown out of proportion by Twitter because it wasn’t really a huge event. There were millions of tweets tweeted out about Jenner and there was a lot of confusing, and negative tweets on it. Although, it was all over Twitter and people were tweeting about it, it wasn’t really newsworthy and it shouldn’t have been all on Twitter negatively like it was. 

            On Twitter, three organizations and people who are followed by many are, The American Kennel Club, Canalside Buffalo and Joanna Gaines. All three of these Twitter accounts are constantly tweeting out interesting stories and pictures. The American Kennel Club posts a lot on how to keep your dog safe and happy stories about dogs. Canalside Buffalo tweets out current events that will be happening at Canalside and what to do there. Joanna Gaines flips houses for living and she sends out tweets on her own designs to inspire people who are possibly redecorating their house. 

            Twitter is much different from blogging because it happens more quickly than by posting a large article. By using Twitter, you only have 140 characters to say what you want say. People like to read things they can read fast, so Twitter is a way to get information fast. More people have a Twitter than a blog, so by using Twitter, people are looking more at what you Tweet than what your write in a blog. You can post links, photos and videos to a tweet, giving the reader more to look at. 

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-01/28/middle-east-protests-twitter
       

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