Last week’s update to Twitter simplified some of the site’s more
perplexing features like the “at” sign (@) and hashtag (#) and increased the
prominence of multimedia elements. The new interface is designed to make Twitter more appealing
to the masses. But, it did not update one of the site’s most valuable features,
Trending Topics, whose functionality remains surprisingly limited.
Not all users would necessarily agree that Trending
Topics needed updating. In the U.S., the general public is content to use
Trending Topics as a way to keep tabs on the real time happenings in popular
culture, like a Bieber asthma attack or the elimination of an X-Factor
contestant. This is very much a
commentary on our culture’s steadfast obsession on celebrity. Moreover, it tends to obfuscate the enormous
social and political power that Trending Topics puts in the hands of everyday
people.
In Egypt, for instance, Trending Topics gave the people a
voice which had long been silenced by the intimidation of the state-run mass
media. The trend #Jan25, which referred to the date in which
an Egyptian street peddler was slain by government backed security forces,
became a Trending Topic that represented the discontent of the long suppressed
Egyptian citizenry. That Trending Topic
was much more than passive symbolism. It had the unprecedented effect of
displacing TV as the country’s mass medium. Its grip on power loosening, the Egyptian government itself took an
unprecedented step and tried to literally unplug the country’s internet connection. It was too late. In an
incredible reversal of roles, the propaganda from Egypt’s state-run media was
drowned out by the booming voice of the people, with #Jan25 serving as a
conduit for that voice.
The power of Trending Topics is encapsulated by three
defining properties:
1) Democratic: Trending Topics are derived
from the collective tweets of everyday people.
Therefore, what’s “breaking news” on Twitter can differ dramatically
from what’s “breaking news” in mainstream media outlets like CNN or Fox
News. As evidenced by Egypt, the greater
the divide between the opinion disseminated by the mainstream media and that of
the general public’s, the more important Trending Topics becomes for the
general public.
2) Scalable: Twitter’s large audience
means that’s what trending on Twitter is a reflection of society at large. Once Twitter’s penetration reaches mass,
what’s trending on Twitter will not only be a reflection of society’s dialogue,
it will be synonymous with it and will even dictate it.
3) Viral: The social nature of Twitter, or
the ease in which people can join in on a trending conversation, has a
snowballing effect that accelerates the speed in which a fragmented
conversation can galvanize around a singular idea.
Given the enormous social and political power that Trending
Topics transfers to the people, it was disappointing to see that the new
Twitter update did not increase users’ ability to search, filter, quantify or
otherwise analyze what’s trending. In fact, despite the innumerable
conversations that may be gaining momentum on Twitter, only 10 macro trends are
available to the public eye. You can
view those 10 trends by 100 different U.S. cities, nationally or globally. But, that’s where the transparency ends.
If developers had access to this data set, they could
illuminate trends that unlocked amazing sociological insights. Grassroots and political organizations could
use these insights to adjust and further their agendas. Would all of these insights be used for
good? It’s impossible to say. But kept under lock and key is a stark contrast to the mantra of the digital age: information yearns to be free.
See More: Is Facebook Making the Same Mistake Twice?
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See More: Is Facebook Making the Same Mistake Twice?
Like what you read? Like Overheard on Facebook
I read that Post and got it fine and informative. conspiracy news
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