Duke University



Dylan PayneLaw and Twitter17 September 2013Implications of Social MediaA Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, conceived Facebook in 2005. It has been our generation, the millennia, who have been tasked to raise the brainchild of social media into existence. Gerbaudo’s claim to the middle ground between Shirky’s optimistic stance and Morozov’s eagerness to shoot down the idea of social media is solid ground. However, the benefits of social media do outweigh the drawbacks. In Tweets and the Streets, Gerbaudo claims that social media is a useful tool in the organization of groups. At the same time, he claims that it can never be a complete substitute. Both human interaction and Internet connection are codependent on each other in today’s society. We meet people at social events and then stay connected with them through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. That connection follows us and can be used to sharpen dull relationships. Morozov and Shirky bring up valid points, but operate under different assumptions. By “assuming that a certain technology is inherently unsuited for becoming a channel of mobilization”(Gerbaudo 9), they cut off the reality which is happening in the streets of Egypt, Spain, and the United States. Gerbaudo’s objective is to observe and analyze how activists are actually using social media in the field. Shirky and Morozov critique ‘Tweeps’ and ‘Facebookers’ based on the impact and worth of their information. However, worth of social networkers cannot be determined by outside researchers. Like movie critics, social media critics represent a fraction of the population’s voice. Many times a movie gets bad reviews, but the general public raves about the entertainment they got out of it. The same principle applies to social media. The power lies within the people. The popularity, validity, and power of a statement on twitter is dependent on peer reaction, not Shirky’s or Morozov’s reaction. Gerbaudo’s Tweets in the Streets is geared towards many audiences. Students of social media to the middle-aged mother who is learning how to use the “like” button all benefit from the analysis of social media. By positioning the article on middle ground, Gerbaudo has made his argument universal contrary to Shirky and Morozov. Contrary to all three author’s main arguments, social media is not primarily used for news networking and social protest organization. In adolescent generations, social media is used for just that: socializing. Updating, bragging, yearning for approval in “likes”, and instant messaging are all more realistic uses of social media for the younger generation. Morozov’s theory that “slacktivism is ‘feel good activism that has zero political or social impact’” (Gerbaudo 7), is void when it comes to adolescent social media usage. The age group is simply not conforming to that interest base. The guarantee social media grants is voice.Voice is a powerful tool that sharpened with the activation of Facebook, Twitter, etc. These media sites are weakening the hierarchies in society. “People at the top of those hierarchies are finding themselves on much shakier ground” (Gerbaudo 6), because of the equal access and voice the user is given. Voice allows for the informal criticism of a normally unattainable target. The White House makes decisions that are highly debated on social media. The direct responses of the people give instantaneous feedback. While voice on social media does open the writer to criticism, attack, and liability due to the domain’s public existence, the fact that the freedom to speak remains leaves the user with more power than otherwise attainable. The benefits of social media are exponentially greater than the drawbacks. Social media acts as a supplement and a stimulant to human interaction. While social media will never replace the essential element of human interaction, it does give us a louder voice in a roaring society being bombarded with stimulation. Social media keeps our leaders accountable, and the people informed. When informed citizens have a voice the system of our government is able to work at maximum capacity. Abraham Lincoln said, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth”. Now more than ever we have the opportunity to run a country according to contemporary consensus. ................
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