Social Media - Week 3 Journal Entry

This week included LOTS of required reading assignments; however, approximately half of the assignments were video or audio files.  This was a pleasant and welcome change (I get SO tired of reading ALL THE TIME)!  I used to enjoy reading; however, since becoming a student, reading has turned into a chore. 

Moving on...
The first video I watched was In Face of Disaster, Social Media Helped Spread News & Connect Bostonians (I need to learn how to embed videos!).  This PBS video clip discussed how social media tools such as Google Person Finder and Twitter were used spread information after the Boston Marathon bombing.  Regarding Google Person Finder, this tool allowed people to get information regarding the status of loved ones quicker than government officials were releasing this information.  While the video did not mention this, I believe this tool not only assisted the public in finding their loved ones in a timely fashion, I assume officials also appreciated that this tool allowed them to focus more attention on the situation rather than allotting a great deal of time commenting on statistical questions.

Regarding Twitter, this mediated tool was used in various ways throughout this disaster.  Initially, Twitter was the first source of information concerning the bombing.  Twitter videos taken from bystander cell phones were the first published information about the disaster.  Instead of waiting for reporters/journalists to get on the scene and report information, people had access to information almost instantly.  In spite of the amateur nature of this instantaneous information, its access and availability was valuable.  In addition to Twitter being first on the scene, this tool was used by Boston police to pass along public information such as alternate driving routes throughout the city.  The video clip also mentioned that the police department used videos posted on social media to gather information and help understand what happened. 

Not being a big fan of social media, this video clip challenged my negative notions about these tools.  Where I used to see social media as online babble between people with too much free time, I now have a new respect for these tools. 

VIDEO #2

The next video clip I watched was Does the White House Use Social Media to Circumvent Press.  This PBS video clip discussed how the White House is using social media tools like Google Hangout to connect directly with voters.  Considering I am not one to actively follow political matters (I know, not proud of this), this video was not as interesting to me.  Evidently, there are mixed emotions regarding this practice.  While some see this use of social media as a way to plug into a new demographic of voters, others consider this as a way to circumvent the Press. 

Personally, I do not have much of an opinion regarding this practice.  While I agree the President's Google Hangout session was a way to connect with potential voters (voters that might not be effectively reached using traditional methods), I do not believe this connection was very valuable.  Evidently, thousands of questions (some valid and some not) were posed to the president and only a handful were answered, and the ones that were answered (at least the valid ones) were answered in such a vague and roundabout way, they really were not answered at all (typical political response).  Again, it is nice to see social media used in a manner other than gossip and babble; however, I just don't believe this "connection" was as valuable as hoped.  Sometimes the idea of connecting via social media is better than the actual connection. 

VIDEO #3

The last video I watched was Obama Spend 10 Times as Much on Social Media as Romney.  In this PBS video clip, campaign social media spending was discussed.  According to the video, Obama's 2012 digital campaign spent $47 million dollars compared to Romney's digital campaign spending of only $4.7 million dollars. It was discussed whether or not this campaign spending could correlate with Obama's election. 

Once again, the topic of this video was not that exciting for me.  If anything, I was appalled by the insane spending.  Aside from the spending, there were some comments made throughout the video that caught my attention.  I was surprised by the level of influence social media has on ones decision making.  It was reported that social media was used to lobby online for votes.  Evidently, people's political decisions can be swayed by the comments and posts of their friends (this really should not surprise me).  Whereas voting decisions used to be somewhat private, many voters today openly share their political opinions including who they will vote for online.  This sharing of information can be very influential to fellow friends and followers.  From one perspective, I appreciate social media's capability to spread information; however, it is disturbing to think that votes could be based on nothing other than social media likes and dislikes (again, this level of voter ignorance should not surprise me).

With regard to social media use in political campaigns (at least to the financial extent seen here), I am not presently an advocate.    

PODCAST #1

Lastly, I would like to quickly comment on the podcast we were assigned this week.  I listened to about half of the podcast Distant Witness: Social Media's Journalism Revolution and I found some of the comments regarding social media and journalism very interesting.  In short, this podcast featured an interview of a journalist who reports stories from a distance meaning the journalist is not actually present at the scene; he instead utilizes social media to gather information and reports based on mediated information. 

Similar to comments made in the Boston bombing video, the journalist highlights how social media is used for almost instant reporting and response.  He can actually accumulate information quicker via social media than if he attempted to go on scene to report.  Another positive attribute of social media is that information is provided from multiple perspectives.  Instead of seeing a situation through only one set of eyes and from one position, social media creates a more accurate big picture of a situation or event.  This big picture perspective seems like a huge plus for journalists as well as the general public. Instead of being limited to one angle of a story, we have the capability to see something from multiple perspectives and create our own perspective based on (potentially) more accurate information. 

As the video clip on the use of social media during the Boston bombing, this podcast challenged my current perspective on social media and helped me to see a more positive and useful side of mediated communication. 

CLOSING THOUGHTS

I very much enjoyed the learning materials presented this week.  The video clips were a nice change of scenery (much more colorful than boring black and white text).  It was interesting and insightful to see social media through a new lens.  While my use of social media probably will not change, I do have a new respect for these tools. 

(Oh, I almost forgot, I am still not enjoying the Twitter activities; I just do not see value in these activities.  The Twitter activities take a lot of time, our classroom thread is difficult to follow, and I do not enjoy following people that I am not really interested in [social media people].  I am chained to technology enough as it is.  Like Facebook, it takes too long to sift through pointless babble to find that one golden Tweet.)

Concerning my experience with Twitter (so far), the silliness of this video clip sums up my thoughts on Twitter and Tweeting....