News Version of Twitter: Possible Alternative to Mainstream Media?
While fleshing out an idea for a research paper I’m writing for my Networked Journalism course, which will focus on how Twitter users generated the #amazonfail story in a thread of revolutionary 140-character news reports, I began to wonder about the future of Twitter as a news source.
Possible new news model: a “Twitter for news” site. Users could post short updates under specific headings (news, traffic, crime, local events), which are then customized by the city or zip code each user has inputted upon signing up for the site. When you login, you’re automatically redirected to a live stream of updates from users in your area, all organized under the aforementioned headings.
Opportunity for error: bogus posts, lack of user credibility, possibility for rumor bomb phenomenon to flourish.
But, in defense, opportunity for growth: user-generated platform for citizen journalists, relatively interactive capability, concise news updates in real time, possibility for far more coverage (say, traffic or small crimes) than mainstream news.
3 Responses to “News Version of Twitter: Possible Alternative to Mainstream Media?”
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Jacqueline on April 22nd, 2009
Interesting idea and something that we definitely see happening, just in a less centralized manner. Personally I use Twitter as a news aggregator more than as a social medium. Your paper sounds very promising. I’m sure you’re already familiar with this, but just in case not I’ll post it: http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/28/mumbai-twitter-sms-tech-internet-cx_bc_kn_1128mumbai.html. Best of luck with your research.
Leslie on April 23rd, 2009
Thanks for your comment and thoughts, Jacqueline. I actually hadn’t run into the link you shared yet in my research, so I appreciate that you passed it along to me! Perhaps a survey of Twitter users would be in order to gauge how many users are on the site primarily for social networking and how many for news purposes, among other uses.
AnnaHopn on August 24th, 2009
Where are you from? Is it a secret?
Thanks
AnnaHopn