Rockin Robin, tweet deedley deet

Twitter is a social media site that is a combination of instant messaging, blogging, and texting, that also can reach a mass audience. Twitter is also about discovering interesting people. The fast responses on this sight make it instantly gratifying for users. Not to mention with actual celebrities posting their personal opinions and daily routines, fandom has skyrocketed to the next level. There is one catch though, everything must be done in 140 characters or less.

Twitter has outgrown the simple labels of socializing, and marketing. It has developed into something much bigger. Twitter is not only useful and interesting it delivers news and politics. It also allows fans to read actual comments from their favorite stars and can help keep a business organized. Twitter is filled with useful tips and tricks. Here are a few examples of how twitter has gone beyond socializing and marketing. When terrible things happen in America people use the phrase “the nation wept” to show what an impact that specific event had on people.  When the tragic attacks on Paris happened, the entire world wept. People all over the globe changed their profile pictures so that there was filter of the Parisian flag over the picture, #prayforparis went viral. In this terrible time twitter went beyond its social and marketing means and became a way for the entire world to grieve and show Paris that they were supported and loved. It became a channel of support and encouragement. Another recent event that showed what else Twitter is capable of was the Boston Marathon bombing. Many spectators had their cell phones out filming the race when the bombing occurred. Some of these spectators went straight to twitter with the tragedy they had just seen. Twitter was covering the news of what happened way before any newspaper or news channel had a chance get to the story. Twitter provided, eye witness accounts which ended up providing some of the first-hand evidence. Spectators who used twitter also gathered pictures, soundbites, and reactions that informed the narrative. Having these things on Twitter for everyone to read brought immediacy and intimacy to this tragic event. It was the unfiltered word on the street that gave firsthand accounts of this tragedy. Twitter was also seen beyond its usual means during the Egyptian revolution. The news in Egypt was sweeping social media, especially twitter, because of the sites wide popularity the voices of many working middle class citizens could be heard. Some even say this phenomenon of free voice sparked the revolution.

            For businesses Twitter can be a very useful organizational tool. There is a feature on the site that allows users to create private lists of existing customers so connecting and engaging with customers can be quick and easy. This site also has a feature that allows users to create a public list of brands used by the business to help stay up to date on the latest news and products associated with those companies.  Twitter is useful as a journalistic tool because of its ability to deliver flash news. Very much like the banners that run across the bottom of TV screens, it grabs your attention and gets quickly to the point. Today’s society is filled with people who have incredibly short attention spans. These kinds of people want their news quickly with a convenient link to an article if they are interested in reading further on the topic. Twitter has also put a useful twist on politics. When candidates post comments to their personal Twitter feed it does one of two things. Either increases their likability among voters because they appear more relate-able or it makes them less appealing to voters because of negativity associated with their comments. The 2016 election with Donald Trump is a great example of this. He upset many people with his offensive tweets. Unfortunately, he did not lose enough votes over the comments to lose the presidency.

            The 2016 election is a great example of how Twitter can also work as a communicator for events. Twitter basically worked as a narrator throughout the election, constantly updating users about the freshest news. This was a success in the fact that voters were more informed about this election that ever before in history, but a failure in the sense that it allowed a mockery to be made of the election with so many memes and jokes. Twitter has also been successful when it comes to marking one’s self as safe during a tragedy. For some recent disasters, such as the attacks on Paris, Twitter was the main communicator letting families know their loved ones were safe. Twitter has shown some failure though when it comes to sending spam and trying to boost interest in trending topics. It was discovered in January of 2017 that there are over 500,000 are fake accounts on twitter spreading spam.

            A good way to show the different reasons one uses twitter is to show examples of different types of pages to follow. For example following @vikingsontwitter allows fans to see trailers for upcoming seasons, bloopers, as well as interesting facts about the actors and the show. Following someone like @kathygriffin teaches patience. It is challenging to follow someone who is hated, it does teach how to put personal feeling aside and approach people’s comments and ideas like an adult. Not every person encountered in life will be a friend. Following @HGTV is so useful, there are constant tips, tricks and DIY projects.

            The experience of using twitter is much different from blogging. One must be able to express ideas and opinions in 140 characters or less. Blogging allows the writer endless time and space to get their point across. When there is only 140 characters the heart of what is really trying to be said will come out with no fluff or ribbons. Because this is an era where attention spans are so short and only getting shorter, Twitter might be the future of how people receive their daily news.

            

Time is Not Measured by Clocks

            Starting a group project can be terrifying, especially when the group consists of complete strangers. These strangers goal is to come up with an idea for a video to be published to the internet. First creating an individual video and then combining every group member’s individual videos and ideas into one collaborative theme, achieving all of this on iMovie with a group of three people who have never used the program before. All group members’ ideas and input are equal and necessary in completing the project. Having constant communication with all group members every step of the project is detrimental to success. Falling behind on individual work or a lack of communication from one party can be very frustrating for the other members. It is very easy to fall behind when group members don’t show up or the unpredictable weather in Buffalo causes most of your groups scheduled work time to be cancelled. Or even worse, losing a group member in the final stages. When working in a group it is important to remember the gestalt theory, the organized whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Though it is important to have individual reflection of self that must tie in to the overall group portrait. In order to achieve success in a group it is important to know and understand group dynamics, as well as communication and dedication among the members of the group from beginning to end.

             Before any work is started the group should brainstorm together and decide on a common goal, not change topic ideas a week and a half into the project, it can really slow things down. Be realistic in selecting the topic choice. Something to abstract will not properly convey the message and something to detailed will be too hard to accomplish in the allotted time. As individual work begins the final end goal of the group project should be kept in mind. Sometimes members will naturally be the Alpha while others will be the Beta’s but that should not change the fact that there should be an equal amount of work distributed. Collaborating as a group can create a much stronger end result if done the right way. With so many personalities working together it’s more likely to be successful in reaching a larger demographic than with an individual video.

            Video as a communication tool instead of writing or photographs is much more instantly gratifying. Sure a picture can tell you a lot about what’s happening but it can’t do it in real time like a video can, neither can writing. Videos have their downfalls as well. It can make it harder for the encoder to perceive the message exactly how the sender wanted it to be interpreted. Especially when there is no verbal communication in the video only music. In the beginning of the process there should be a strong knowledge of the subject matter. Knowing the subject well determines what to shoot. Having strong representations will help to eliminate any misinterpretation from the encoder. If the topic is time for example research different ways time can be expressed. Consider that time isn’t just a number on a clock but rather time can go too slow or too fast, it can show the passing of time, or impatience of waiting. To argue the opposite of that say time is just a number or moment in time. How many ways can that be represented? Clocks, sun dials, military time, hour glasses, and so on and so forth. All of these can show time without verbally communicating it. Only shooting in landscape eliminates having the black box around your footage. Being the star of a movie can be a hard task when you also have to do the filming. Come up with creative ways of positioning the camera. Prop it up on things like picture frame holders or find ways to suspend the camera like with Command strips. Incorporating different types of shots and angles such as close ups and long shots helps to portray the end message. Distance can also show time.

            The shots alone will not be understood by the encoder without editing. It can be a long process of deciding how to transition from frame to frame or what filters to use. These are crucial decisions that will either further or hinder correct interpretation.  If attention is payed to every detail of the editing process video as a tool of communication can be extremely effective. Images can be shown as a chronological narrative, or a series of related images that do not need to be viewed sequentially. If editing on iMovie be sure to always back everything up to a flash drive. Occasionally the program can glitch out and work could be lost.  Deciding what music to use is also an important port of the process. Chose a song that represent the subject matter. Using the example of time again something with birds chirping can help emphasize that one is waking up. Using techno music or a fast paced beat can show how one shifts quickly through the obligations of a busy day. Whether it be through words or tempo the encoder should be able to see a correlation between what they are viewing and hearing.

            Remember that this video will be posted for the whole world to see. Becoming a part of a popular site like Youtube or Vimeo can be quite an experience. Making a video to post to the web is a crucial skill to have when learning about communication whether it’s independently or in a group. It is another form of sending a message on a channel to an encoder. The sender is able to choose what subject matter to focus on. As well as including self-portrait expressions. Sure there are some struggles along the way, especially for a beginner who isn’t familiar with the process of shooting, editing, and posting. But over-all communicating through video is a rewarding experience that furthers education and is another step in complete interconnectedness.