Describe and analyze the social consequences of the proliferation of new media from the advent of the internet to twitter. Include the " wiki' concept- that people will donate time and effort to create a useful site-, on-line communities that crop up around tv shows, crowd-sourcing, changing ideas about privacy, and the effect of the availability of on-line groups to escalate extreme social views. Include examples.
In recent history, the act of blogging and using online communities to discuss one's views about life or about a television program has become widespread. From the advent of the Internet and Twitter, a whole new world of blogging and sharing ideas has come about. While watching a television show, some viewers take to Twitter to share their views about the latest drama. I have seen this first hand during the Bethenny Frankel vs. Jill Zarin fight on Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York. People were tweeting who's side they were on and bashing the ladies for their shortcomings. It even became a trending topic commonly on Thursday nights with the guilty pleasure show airs. Becomes of the drama and excitement over the fight, viewership went up because people were curious. Personally, I saw what everyone was saying about their fight and it made me want to watch even more than I already did. It was interesting and it became a heated debate, oddly enough. Twitter and the Internet have thrust this into a bigger fight and issue than it already was. This is the kind of effect that these types of media can have. Television channels have even begun making websites so they could have discussion groups, viewing parties where people can chat to others watching the show, and even fan blogs. This has all cropped up as a result of prevalence of Twitter and the Internet. Instead of just watching the show for pure entertainment, a new facet has been added to the viewing experience. The audience now picks apart every little nuance and every little discussion that goes on during the show and discusses it on the Internet. View and opinions are constantly being shared as a result of this. Another show that has participated in this is Lost, one of the most exciting yet infuriating shows on television now. The show is so confusing and so detailed and even avid fans are finding it hard to keep up and to make sense of it all. Hence why they have made forums where fans can chat with each other about the latest flashback or the latest creature on the island or the latest hook up between characters. This makes the viewer feel connected to not only the media itself but the television show and the other viewers who watch as well. They learn new information, find new images and videos, new interviews with cast and crew, and even spoiler alerts. It is almost as if the audience and the media are driving what happens on the show and how well the show does. I believe that more shows should take this into account and make discussion parties and forums on the Internet.
You can find anything you want on the Internet with just a click of a button or a search in Google. The Internet makes it easy for people of all ages and opinions to document their thoughts for the world to see. There is no filter to say what is right and what is wrong. It is merely people's interpretations of the truth and of information. This has made it more difficult to distinguish between what is unbiased truth and what is fabricated. This takes place frequently on websites like Wikipedia where people and editing their own definitions and views on things. An idea can pop up into someone's mind, they can post in on the Internet, and then cause a whole widespread revolution about a certain topic. Take for example legalizing marijuana and legalizing gay marriage. There are heated debates in relation to these issues. There are even whole websites dedicated to trying to debunk theories and make people change their opinions.
Another huge issue plaguing our society as a result of the invention of Twitter and the Internet is privacy. The typical and traditional views of privacy have changed drastically! When you have a Twitter or a Facebook, you can put all your personal information on there including incriminating evidence. Perspective employers and colleges have been known to Google and look people up on Facebook in order to make sure that they are hiring or accepting a person that will be beneficial to their company. This begs the question...is it right that they should be able to look at the things you post? Should people be more censored or careful with things they are posting? Should the government intervene when things of this magnitude occur? These are just some questions that people are wondering about in relation to the new definition of privacy. It is hard to know where the boundaries are anymore because of the inclusive nature of the Internet. Another feature of this privacy debate has to deal with parents and their children. Many parents believe that they should be able go through their child's email and computer to see what they are doing and make sure they are being safe and responsible. I think there should be enough trust in a parent-child relationship so that does not need to be done. However, I can see the pointer of most parents. There should be more education about unsafe Internet and computer use so that it remains a non-issue. This way less sexual predators will be able to access children on the Internet.
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