There is no beauty in Twitter
I have been thinking about this for a few days and it worries me. I picked on Twitter in my title but the same could said for Facebook, MySpace or just about any Web2.0/social media product out there. There doesn’t seem to be any craft. Maybe it is because all the “social media experts” just became that within the last couple of years. What concerns me is who will be creating beautiful architecture, writing the next great novel, dancing with grace when the world is moving towards 140 characters or less?
There is a lack of touch with social media. The keyboard feels the same to everyone. The mouse offers no depth. How will a population reduced to sending Lil Green Patches grow a garden?
As the great newspapers fight for their existence and people seem to rally behind their demise, where will the journalism come from? People link to the masters but they don’t support them.
I enjoy Twitter, Facebook and their cousins. But I’m more concerned that we will become a civilization incapable of creating anything worth a link.
David, don't take this the wrong way, but I think people probably said as much about papyrus, ink, the printing press, the telegraph, radio, television, film, and every stage of the Internet so far.
There's plenty to do online that doesn't touch the offline world, but what makes online actually interesting is the way it helps us connect with other people. Sure, every Little Green Patch thingy on Facebook isn't exactly interesting, and there's lots of other "noise" online, but when it comes down to it most of online life points back to things we do in the physical world. QED: I just tweeted a brief comment about Watchmen, in which I join a chorus of geek pilgrams from the last 72 hours.
Before there was something called "social media," there were people writing online about offline things, or at least about things that weren't online writing. The earliest of these were probably discussion groups on Usenet, but by the late 90s we actually had an early functioning blogosphere, perhaps more one-way, that covered a variety of topics from politics to software to knitting to whatever else people wanted to talk about or write about. Social media is good because it makes it simpler for people who don't know an Apache web server from a displaced native American to contribute to online discourse; by lowering that barrier to entry, we definitely get some garbage — but we get some good stuff, too.
Or do I miss your point?
You make good points. When the printing press came out there were probably people that said "if you aren't handwriting it in ink than its not literature". I don't want to be that naive. I purposely left out blogging from my argument above because I think there are beautiful and creative posts. There are also great comments. People are having conversation and that is great.
Maybe my main beef is with Twitter. I expect there to be more but maybe in the end it is just phatic (thank you @tacanderson http://www.newcommbiz.com/twitter-is-phatic/) and a new breed of search. In that case beauty and creativity aren't necessary.
great post and you bring up some good questions
but I think I might see this differently
I think i actually do see some beauty in Twitter. the simple, yet powerful way that it connects people and enables people to exchange ideas and share information is quite amazing. unfortunately, it also creates a lot of noise, but I think there is some beauty underneath that noise.
also, i don't think creativity is going anywhere. humans have always been creative and the internet, Twitter, and it's social media cousins are not going to stop that. in fact, one could argue that the power of the internet might help humans be more creative.
the power of the internet might kill record companies as we know them, but I think we will always have creative musicians making beautiful music
the power of the internet might kill newspapers and magazines as we know them, but I think we will always have creative journalists writing beautiful writings
the power of the internet might kill book publishing companies as we know them, but I think we will always have creative authors writing beautiful literature
i hope i am right
great post and you bring up some good questions
but I think I might see this differently
I think i actually do see some beauty in Twitter. the simple, yet powerful way that it connects people and enables people to exchange ideas and share information is quite amazing. unfortunately, it also creates a lot of noise, but I think there is some beauty underneath that noise.
also, i don't think creativity is going anywhere. humans have always been creative and the internet, Twitter, and it's social media cousins are not going to stop that. in fact, one could argue that the power of the internet might help humans be more creative.
the power of the internet might kill record companies as we know them, but I think we will always have creative musicians making beautiful music
the power of the internet might kill newspapers and magazines as we know them, but I think we will always have creative journalists writing beautiful writings
the power of the internet might kill book publishing companies as we know them, but I think we will always have creative authors writing beautiful literature
i hope i am right
People should read this.