[56 1/2 Main Street: 10] From June 7th - Texts, Tweets & In-depth Analysis
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56 1/2 Main Street ยป 56 1/2 Main Street: 10 From June 7th - Texts, Tweets & In-depth Analysis

Clive Thompson, How Tweets and Texts Nurture In-depth Analysis

IMHO, Thompson could have done more to support his claims that 'we're told' that the Internet destroys people's patience for in-depth, well-thought-out arguments. (This support would have made this, in my opinion, a better example of an in-depth, well-thought-out argument). If we're "often" told that the Internet destroy's people's patience, then there should plenty of examples from which to draw. His idea of 'newsworthy' and his first two examples could indicate that this lack of patience could be due to, or closely related to other, deeper reasons such as our society's priorities. Brett Favre's wins/losses is his leading example with a Brazilian election run-off ending his list.

Are our 'ascendant discussions' truly texts, tweets and status updates? Again, some supporting references would have done much to lend credability to Thompson's claims. Perhaps it is a personal failing on my part that I find the barrage of texts and tweets to be a frustrating flood through which I cannot possibly wade. The Internet is a wall of words and opinions that assaults one with unsupported claims, far too much drivel, and opinions of opinions of opinions of opinions… It creates, not simply a wall, but an impossible obstacle to me.

Although Thompson could be considered an example of the now defunct middle-take, some of his ideas, (the ones for which he provides examples/references), I believe, are accurate and insightful. What is more dissatisfying than those middle-take articles that appear in Time and Newsweek? In my experience, the typical write-up did report the news of a major event as any newspaper would do, but the commentaries served to raise more questions than they answered, and there were typically just enough analysis and commentary to scare the shit out of the reader while leaving them with, at best, an unclear idea of the event.

Indeed, the Internet has demonstrated the public's distaste for these dilute attempts to provide information of important events along with some clarity regarding the context of them. Perhaps the Internet has also done something to demonstrate the public's distaste for the gatekeeping that is obvious in the mass media platforms that include Time and Newsweek as Rettberg discusses in Chapter 4 of her blogging textbook. This would suggest that any attempts by entities like Time and Newsweek to provide news of major events along with relevant commentary and analysis would be conceived in defeat. The views/philosphies governing these mass media monopolizers insure that a tight rein is used to control what is reported. Other points-of-view/perspectives, some valuable and others not, are definitely worth consideration, and it is the Internet that now gives them a voice and a publishing platform. Granted, there are usually too damn many of these opinions/points-of-view, and perhaps it's a better imbalance to have too many than too few.

Thompson believes that the observed trend is that we use the technologies/venues of the text and the tweet for the small stuff. This includes 'short-takes' that are 'half-baked and gossipy.' These tweets/texts may not be accurate or true, and they're not intended to be carefully constructed. We, as a society, use this venue to 'chew over an event.' This is where social media is lost on me. I would like to find some statistics on how much time and how much money the average, 'Joe Schmoe' spends on the half-baked and gossipy. Until now, I have never felt like I am behind-the-times, out-of-the-loop, or out-of-sync with the current trends, (at least the valid ones) and the priorities shared by many, or most, people.
-'half-baked' & gossipy
-may not be all true
-not intended to be carefully constructed
-this is society chewing over event
-forms quick impression of 'What it All Means.'
The in-depth discussions are reserved for blogs - long blogs that apparently do justice to the topics they discuss. Although he isn't specific as to exactly what survey reveals this, Thompson does support this point by discussing how these longer blogs are the most popular posts. New software developments that lend themselves to reading these longer discussions are in demand, so much so that one of them, Instapaper, gained nearly a million users without doing much advertising.

I realize that Clive Thompson has a finger to the pulse where I do not. Some of his points are unsupported and without relevant references. Despite this, I believe his discussion of these trends and the idea that social media technology has served to encourage in-depth thinking, in-depth arguing, and in-depth discussions is insightful. Texts, tweets, and status updates provide a venue for the initial reactions to news events and the inevitable yammers that follow in their wake. This separates out this necessary reaction to the news, and it clears the way for the well-thought-out arguments and in-depth discussions to take place in the form of longer blog posts and essays.

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