Twitter; A Broadcasting Tool for Instant Gratification?

The Many Uses of Twitter

Twitter has evolved from its beginning days where the main use was following celebrities or tweeting inane, hum-drum activities that were the lives of normal people hoping others found their tweets sarcastic or intriguing on some level. These days Twitter has become a tool for reporting events almost instantly after they occur, sharing political, social, or ethical opinions, and is the new vehicle that many reporters use to alert the public about events. For example, CNN is known for uploading video clips or sound bites pertaining to breaking news issues and more recently, commentating about the presidential race. Another large development that was recently formed in the Twitter world is the use of meme’s and troll accounts that post cynical, sarcastic, and posts that downright poke fun at famous people and political figures. Twitter is has also recently developed a rep for marketing; scrolling through your timeline, as a user you are subjected to promotional posts from businesses which post links to websites or pictures that direct you to a shopping site. In the article from AboutTech.com, Twitter is discussed as a new tool for marketing that is refreshing to people who are sick and tired of television advertisement, due to the ease of being able to reject the advertising at will should they wish.

Convenient Communication

Twitter is made all too easy for literally anyone wishing to communicate a message, from a simple bystander walking city streets to the highest ranking journalist in a remote corner of the world. In seconds, information about an event or disaster is made available to the entire world of Twitter, making it handier than TV broadcasts or text message alerts. Also, Twitter has become a great tool for organizations to promote their causes, give the public information on events they are working on, or correct errors that may have been given through various media coverage. In terms of politics, Twitter is an invaluable tool for politicians running campaigns because it allows them access to the public and constant communication to influence and keep two-way communication flowing with their supporters.

Events Exposed Through Twitter

Many tragic events and disasters have run their course throughout the Twitter world over the past twelve months; the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, the Syrian refugee movement, and the Black Lives Matter movement to name a few. The Sandy Hook shooting began with short messages of a shooting that took place at an elementary school, and quickly evolved into live news feeds being filmed by helicopters of news organizations, and minute by minute updates with pictures of children and teachers being evacuated from the scene. With the Sandy Hook shooting, speculations were being made by eyewitnesses on the scene, reporters, and people who weren’t even present which developed large rumors of the cause of the shooting, who the shooter was, and what was really happening. In this instance, Twitter did more damage by creating rumors and placing false facts in the minds of the public because the ability to share information instantaneously was too available to scared and anxious people. The Syrian refugee movement has been largely documented on Twitter by journalists and volunteer organizations, aiming at the desperation and sadness of the displacement. Pictures and videos are streamed to Twitter showing families being torn apart by death, sickness, and violence while trying to flee their country. Twitter has been used as a means to expose the tragedy and struggle the people of Syria are experiencing because many living in the Western world are not aware of what is happening outside of the borders of America. Lastly, the Black Lives Matter movement has created what could easily be called a revolution on Twitter, with many people voicing their opinions on the issue that has become rampant in the streets of the United States. Videos of police brutality, both against and by the police, protests live from streets of cities in turmoil, and opinion pieces from politicians and police officials are posted. All of these tragic events have been discussed by millions of people to the point of overkill, many events like this now contain an overload of speculation and dramatization because really, anyone can post something without needing it to be fact checked or approved by anyone.

My Twitter Experience

For my Twitter project I chose to follow Ellen DeGeneres, MTV music, and the UN Environment organization because I wanted to have a variety of subjects to comment on that were very unrelated to each other and covered different topics. Admittedly, I chose to follow Ellen because she is one of my favorite people on the planet not only being funny but extremely heart-warming and giving.

This project was much different from any blogging experience I have had because I was forced to post thoughtful and intriguing posts with only 140 characters to do so. Also, I had to think of clever hash tags and include pictures and video that coincided with what I was discussing. Secondly, I had to respond to my classmate’s posts, which forced me to understand their topics and make use of the information they were posting. With social media, I am more of a scanner than a responder; if I see something that fires me up or I feel I need to comment on I will, but it is a rarity so this project really got me out of my comfort zone. This project was extremely beneficial in my eyes because it allowed me to get to know my classmates on a better level through their choice of topics and followers, since it was an online class and can be a bit isolating. Many online classes do not give their students an opportunity such as this to feel a bit more connected with their online peers. Also, this project taught me that I do have a voice and what I comment on is seen by many people; where before I felt I was just one of a few million tweeters lost in the sea of thousands of comments and opinionated tweets.

 

There's A First Time For Everything.

The iMovie project was an interesting experience because it caused quite a bit of meltdown and frustration on my end. It was also a multitude of firsts for me; I have never shot videos with intentions to create a message out of it, nor am I familiar with iMovie and making/editing films in the program. Overall, I feel the message I wanted to convey through my project was successfully interpreted and I am proud of the outcome despite all of the issues along the way.

Before I began shooting for the project, I sat down and made a list of what it means to me to be a Buffalo State communications student. Sleepless nights, LOTS of coffee, textbooks upon textbooks, constantly keeping up to date on current news issues, social media, and typing, typing, typing! Once I had my list gathered I started to think how I could represent these things so that the viewer knew my message was that being a BSC communications student is no cake walk, but instead very, very stressful. I found a way to do that through the self-portraits, the music, and the video effects used in the movie.

Shooting was complicated at first because of having to adjust lighting and where I was shooting something in order to make the shot usable and better looking than just shot in a few seconds. I also have never filmed anything with the intention of making it movie worthy so I had to develop my shots so they would look well in my project and represent a message.

My next issue was how to transfer my video files from my Surface tablet to a Mac computer. At first, I tried to send them via an email attachment but that would not work. Next, I tried to transfer them via an adapter but those were too expensive. Finally, I was able to figure out how to transfer the files onto a flash drive and upload them to a Mac laptop to edit them through iMovie.

Once my files were transferred I had to learn how to operate iMovie, it is a program I was never familiar with. Once I watched a tutorial and I realized it was similar to Windows Movie Maker, I was able to navigate much better. I wanted my movie to have a dream quality to it, so when I was picking out my effects I used a lot of the Romantic and Old-Fashioned filters. Also, I slowed down many of the frames to depict the feeling of dragging on or drawn out time. Having to add in audio was helpful because the audio I used for my project I felt enhanced the feeling I was trying to develop in my project.

Throughout the entire creation and development process I continued to go back to how the viewer would see this movie. I knew the points I wanted to get across but would the viewer understand that as well? That was a continuous thought in the back of my mind.

The most awkward part of filming had to be filming myself for the project. I was not comfortable with being in front of the camera and I also felt very awkward acting a part. But when I placed it in the film it helped develop the message I wanted to portray which made me feel less self-conscious.

The iMovie project was very stressful and probably aged me about 5 years but I feel confident with what I created and I feel this project was a great learning experience in developing videos and creating videos that portray something that needs to be interpreted through something other than print or photographs. Creating a video allowed me to steer the viewer into any direction I wished them to be in. With a photograph the audience can infer what is happening, what the message tone is, and what the author is trying to portray. I feel this project was a good learning experience to show that what you make is 100% up to the creator and really allowed me to step out of my comfort zone by forcing me to make a short clip that portrays a meaningful message. Anyone would be able to throw movie clips together but to make them have meaning and allow the reader to grasp that by watching it made me feel proud of my project.

I feel that if I had more time and resources I could have really enhanced the quality of the video, but as far as first takes go I would say mine was pretty successful!

Long Days, Longer Nights

 

This short film exudes my depiction of what it means to be a BSC Public Communications student. Long days turn into long sleepless nights, a plethora of strict deadlines, a lot of keeping up to date on current media issues and news, and quite a bit of stress on top of that. Despite showing the negative side, I find my major to be rewarding and I know I want to carry on with this for the rest of my life.

Navigating My Way Through WikiHow World.

Developing my wiki page from the beginning steps of creating the information that I would include in the end result of my complete and coded page was a stressful process. Going into the project I did not prepare myself for the level of complexity that was involved. I felt this way because looking at other wiki pages, the layouts and material looked simplistic in their nature and reassured me that I could execute one with ease. I was not prepared for how complicated coding a page would be but I feel that despite having no prior knowledge on how to code a wiki page I was able to make something interesting and inviting for people to read.

Starting at the beginning of my wiki journey, it was hard to find a topic someone hadn’t already made a page on. This part of the project required some soul searching into my talents and abilities, but I was satisfied with my choice to do my project on how to make pastelillos because I was well versed on the subject and had years of experience making them. As I began to map out how I wanted my page to look in the eyes of the viewer, I started with the easiest portion of the project and that was formulating my list of ingredients and writing out the steps of each part of the recipe. This part was also a little challenging because when you are cooking something you don’t realize all the small steps you do that are a part of a bigger step. When I was writing the recipe for my wiki page I used my personal experience with what tastes the best as well as how I was taught by my grandmother and incorporated a few ingredients from each version.

 

Once I had finished with the ingredients section and formulating the steps to complete the recipe, I began to think how I wanted to introduce the viewers to the topic of pastelillos and why the article was even a relevant one for them to be reading. I sought inspiration through blogs and food websites that had similar dishes and were inspired by a Hispanic flare. Starting the introduction I wanted to introduce the readers with a definition to what exactly pastelillos are because I am sure many people coming across my wiki page won’t even know what they are. I also wanted to include a background on the recipe, where it came from and variations found in other countries. To entice the reader to put in the effort to make pastelillos I thought including the benefits of making them, being they are fast and very easy while also being tasty. Lastly, I was aware there are varying versions of ingredients as well as twists on the traditional recipe so I wanted to let the reader explore making whichever version suited them. I did not struggle too much with the writing portion and I feel I gave the reader many aspects to find interesting on a topic they may not have any prior knowledge about.

The next step I took to improve my outline was to make the recipe myself to obtain the 5 original pictures we needed. This was beneficial to me because I was able to follow the exact instructions I had written and could fix or add to a step that I felt needed to be elaborated or explained better.

 

Lastly, I started with the frustrating and tedious process of coding my wiki page. I’m going to be honest when I say that despite reading all of the supplementary material and watching videos on coding wikis, I was still beyond confused on how to code. I also feel that wikiHow in general is not the easiest website to navigate when you have never had to use it. I started my coding journey by uploading my typed outline into the advanced editor on wikiHow and started to make my necessary changes so that it would look how I wanted it to once it was published. The biggest struggle for me was grasping the use of the # to create step numbers. Frustration was an understatement and I’m almost positive I gained a renewed appreciation for computer programmers because I felt like I was never going to grasp a simple coding of a wiki page. This website was a great resource during the struggle of coding my page. I saved every draft and previewed around probably 30 versions of my draft because I wanted to see what needed to be fixed. This was without a doubt the section of the project that I struggled with the most and still didn’t feel completely satisfied with the final outcome of it when I was submitting it.

Overall, the wiki assignment was helpful in teaching how implementing and designing a web page should not be underestimated or deemed easy because it is anything but. I had fun creating something of my own that I can find on the internet, something I am the creator of. I could have used more guidance with coding but for not knowing anything about coding and having to teach myself I feel I executed the project as well as I could have hoped for.

 

Realizing There's a How-To On Just About Everything

It took some time and much soul-searching, but I was finally able to come up with a list of three possible WikiHow page topics. For his project I decided to start closest to home and examine what hobbies or activities I do the most and write about that. Outside of school I am a member of a national sorority on campus, so for that I thought it would be fun to write a how-to on how to decorate a sorority paddle since I have done multiple. Next, I realized one of my greatest hobbies is to cook. I love to cook any and every type of food but first I started with my love for cooking my ethnicity’s food, specifically a how-to on making paselitos which come from Puerto Rico. Lastly, I chose my final topic because it is a recent recipe I have nailed down and thought to be super delicious so I want to share it with the rest of the world, greek turkey burgers! Opa!

My first topic, how-to make a sorority paddle would be interesting because I feel many people don’t understand why a paddle is made, where you can buy materials from, or how to make one in general. In my how-to I would discuss that a paddle is made for many different occasions, primarily to give your big sister, but can also be made for a sister’s 21^st birthday, for the president of the chapter, or for the new member pledge mom. I would also discuss where you would be able to purchase everything needed to make the paddle such as the wooden paddle, the letters and Greek symbols, paint and brushes, etc. Lastly, I would discuss the steps to making a paddle and give some insight on how to create a paddle that the person receiving it will love and appreciate. Since I have already made 3 paddles myself, I feel I have the knowledge and credibility to create a how-to on this topic.

The second topic I decided would be fun and interesting to write about is a how-to on making pastelitos, a traditional Spanish delicacy from Puerto Rico. I grew making Spanish food and have much experience in the kitchen when it comes to my ethnicity’s food. I would discuss the ingredients and kitchen tools necessary to make pastelitos, prep time, a detailed step-by-step account on how to make and cook them, and lastly alternative and creative ways to make pastelitos, as opposed to a traditional beef pastelito.

My final topic I chose was a how-to on how to make Greek turkey burgers. I have a love and passion for cooking and just recently nailed down the perfect recipe for these delicious burgers and want to share it! I would list the ingredients necessary to make the burgers, kitchen equipment needed, prep time, and a detailed list of how to prepare and cook the burgers. Also, I would include fun toppings for the burgers and some health benefits of eating turkey burgers as opposed to ground beef.

I feel I have selected 3 topics I can write a great how-to on because I have a love for all 3 topics and am very knowledgeable about each of them. I also have 3 topics that do not have a WikiHow on them yet and feel that I could add something useful for the Internet should someone need it.

Is Social Media Making People Crazy?

Remembering my initial exposure to social media, Myspace, and comparing it to the forms of social media I frequent now, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. it is impossible to deny how rapidly social media has grown and infiltrated the communication world. When I first began using social media websites there was a large emphasis on the sharing of music and showing off who were your “Top 5 Friends” on your profile page. In present day social media, the trend seems to be sharing videos and pictures you find entertaining or important, as well as updating “followers” on occurrences in your daily activities. Also, social media seems to have migrated towards networking opportunity for people, allowing them to connect with companies they are interested in or prospective employers they follow.

I feel social media has become slightly intrusive because people have developed the habit of posting every thought and feeling on their profiles, which brings with it the chance for hundreds or even thousands of followers to comment back and pose judgement against those thoughts and feelings. An example is celebrities and social media, thousands of people feel the need to comment on their posts asking questions or try to pry into a public figures life when really they are people too and should be allowed to have social media without these issues.

My views on responsibility and social media is that although everyone has the right to freedom of speech, harmful or slanderous comments just don’t have a place in cyberspace. Also, anyone in the world can view what you post on social media, it is there forever. Posting personal information can be dangerous, as well as posting embarrassing or compromising pictures. The main thing to remember when using social media is that whatever you post is being used to create an image of you in people’s minds that may not know you, how do you want to be seen?

Social media has many positive aspects and has introduced great things into our society but there is a very dark side to social media that has begun to emerge in just the last 5-10 years. An example of this is when an enraged man killed his wife for changing her status on Facebook from “married” to “single”, even though they had been separated. Another example out of hundreds, a woman killed her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend because this new girl kept posting pictures of her and her new man on the web, which did not please the ex-girlfriend, so much so she stabbed her in the chest. These are just two examples of horror stories and I found hundreds on the Internet.

Social media is beneficial and can connect families and friends, but there are those few people out there that need to find a way to defile it. In the future I see social media continuing to inform, entertain, and connect people, but I also see it taking over the younger generations to the point of becoming a detrimental obsession. 

What Would We Do Without the Wonderful World Wide Web?

Back to the Past, and Into the Future

The evolution of the Web has greatly expanded over the past few decades; that is no life-altering, mind-blowing statement. What is mind-blowing, and certainly life-altering is how the Web has changed throughout this time period, surpassing what I thought could even be possible for technology to accomplish. Although I was too young to witness the beginnings of switching from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, I can see the significant changes that have developed since the days of archaic dial up computers and simplistic interface web pages. For example, if anything takes longer than 5 seconds to load, irritation sets in, or how about being able to take a tablet with you anywhere in the world and still access the Internet? We have come leaps and bounds from where we first began in the field of Web and the Internet.

Starting with Web 1.0, we were able to present information and services with simple user interfaces, but had no opportunity to allow people to alter or contribute to the information. Well that just wouldn’t do, now would it? Which is precisely where Web 2.0 came in. This new and improved version of the Web offers users the chance to be interactive with people from all over the world, access thousands of pages of information in seconds, and upload their work to share with whomever they please. Now that the Web has been nailed down in a socially interactive aspect, it is time to focus on new technological advances, which brings me to discuss Web 3.0. Web 3.0 takes what we already know how to use and amps it up by 100, creating more intelligent search engines and faster network connections that give us what we want to know and take us exactly where we want to be in seconds, with more accuracy and precision than what we have been used to.

I believe Web 2.0 has surpassed the expectations of what people thought was possible to accomplish with computer technology. Everyday there are new applications and user experiences created that enhance the Web’s quality and productivity. Web 2.0 has given users a way to connect with their friends and family, not just through simply a wordy email, but actually video chatting with them in real time. In my opinion that is the greatest thing that has come out of the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, the ability to link together family and friends across the globe and allow them to see each other face-to-face.

With Web 3.0 becoming more developed to serve us faster and make our lives easier, I am afraid there will be an increase in how addicted to technology human civilization already is. Web 3.0 has the ability to connect databases in seconds to find information that much easier and it troubles me to think it may decrease the willingness to learn, or increasing the dependency to having a computer do all the hard work for you.

How have we gotten to this point?

Web 1.0 or the “Read Only” web was the beginning of the information age, according to Flat World Business Blog. Though this version of the web gave users access to information, there was no active communication flow from users to those sending out that information. Along with giving access to data Web 1.0 also began the e-commerce revolution, allowing consumers to view and buy product online versus in a retailer’s store. According to WittyCookie, Web 1.0 is the passive version of the web filled with flat data and no outlet to communicate with users.

Transitioning from that is Web 2.0, or the “Read-Write” web, where a lack of interaction from Web 1.0 led to. According to Randy Matusky, owner of randymatusky.com, a blog dedicated to educational technology and leadership, no actual update or technical modification was done between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. A writer on Flat World Business Blog stated that 1999 marked the start of heavier user interactions and the “Read-Write-Publish” era, with sites like Blogger and LiveJournal. This version of the web is set up so that even a non-technically savvy individual can navigate and intermingle on the web. Randy Matusky, in his blog post here, he declares Web 2.0 is the “architecture of participation” because the user has some power and control over the data being distributed. Web 2.0 empowered the population through blogging, social media, and video streaming.

Lastly, the Web is transitioning into its latest phase, Web 3.0 or the “Read-Write-Execute” web version. Flat World Business blog, in their post here, it is stated that Web 3.0 is made up of two things; semantic markup and web services. First, semantic makeup is the communication gap that exists between web users and computer applications, which will be remedied through formatting data to be understood by software. Second, we service is a system designed to support computer to computer interaction over the Internet. Flat World Blog states that both semantic markup and web service will have the potential to have applications connect directly with each other, with broader search engines, and easier interfaces. The problem with 2.0, according to Randy Matusky, is that Web 2.0 results in information overload. It is unable to tell whether context is relevant or not, the search just generates all relevant data, which is precisely what Web 3.0 aims to change. Matusky says it well when he writes in his blog post, “Web 1.0 and 2.0 the Internet is trapped within the physical walls of computers, bur with hands-free devices such as tablets and cellphones, it will become an omnipresent force.”