Social Media
When I hear the word social media, the word social sticks out most to me, and I first think about social networks like Myspace, Facebook and Ning. On these social networks people can have connections with one another. I believe that the shyest person and the most outgoing person both desire to fit in with others--to feel a part of a group. That’s why you see book clubs, Soccer Mom’s, poker groups, football parties. Yet, our desire to interact does not stop in the physical world. We like to interact in the many things we do, including online.
Social networks are changing the way we interact with one another. “It used to be hard to get people to assemble and easy for existing groups to fall apart. Now assembling latent groups is simple, and the groups, once assembled, can be quite robust in the face of indifference or even direct opposition from the larger society” (Shirky, 2008). People are using these things to go beyond just communicating, people are collaborating and sharing information to create things as a group. Social networks are allowing people to collaborate quicker, without having to plan every interaction. According to the Collective Intelligence video, In my 2007, myspace had 375,000 new accounts everyday (2007). This statistic is evidence of how people like to interact with others.
Not only are social media outlets allowing us to collaborate and interact, they are allowing people to support each other in ethical ways when we see injustice. Gordan Brown in his video claims “What we see unlocks the things we cannot see. What we see unlocks the invisible ties and bonds of sympathy that brings us together to become a human community. We do have moral sense that we have a duty to act when we see things that need righted” (Brown, 2009). The pictures that Gordan displayed in the video all were examples of how pictures affect people to help and support others in difficult situations. Social media. Is it here to stay? Absolutely.
Resources
Brown, G. (2009, July) Gordon Brown: Wiring a web for global good. Retrieved on September 15, 2009 at http://www.ted.com/talks/gordon_brown.html
Psbobj (2007, May). Collective intelligence-the vision. Retrieved on September 16, 2009 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQe8dWTbE2U
Shirky, C. (2008). Here comes everybody: the power of organizing without organizations. London: The Penguin Group.
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