Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Recent stories involving Twitter

We finished 2305 with a quick look at the media and some attention to the general impact of social media. Here are three quick stories about Twitter:

- Death Wish: A Writer Finds Twitter Turning Toxic. A journalist explains why she terminated her Twitter account. The nature of the interchange it sets up doesn't appear to breed civil discourse: What is it about Twitter that brings out the worst in some people and makes it acceptable—almost mandatory—to be small-minded jerks? Those 140 characters don’t leave a lot of room for context. It’s almost as if brevity breeds idiocy. Even powerful business executives have fallen prey to reckless comments.


- White House #My2K Twitter hashtag enters "fiscal cliff" debate. The Obama White House is promoting discussions about the fiscal cliff on Twitter by promoting a hashtag to frame the debate. They also held a Town Hall on Twitter.

- Israel and Gaza Battle Twitter War Over Rocket Attacks. The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza didn't just involve rockets. Salvos were fired back and forth online.