As technology changes, so does the way we as a society communicate and interact with one another. And as technology becomes accepted and more used in society, the regular means of conversation that have served humanity well for so long, have become basically extinct. So with the addition of new media, is the world getting closer to a Global Village that many have predicted will someday be reached?
As the online Oxford Dictionary defines it, the Twittersphere is "postings made on the social networking site Twitter". And for those of you who need more explanation, Twitter is a social networking site where users can follow and 'tweet' each other various thoughts and happenings in their lives. Very exciting stuff.
The concept of interaction and new media has changed the way many see what was known as the public sphere. "The internet calls for a redefinition of the public sphere" (Anderson, 1999). As the ever evolving world of the internet continues to open new doors for communications, the terms and outdated lingo that once defined the public sphere and the ideal methods of communication need to evolve with it.
Anderson here is contending that the internet continues to redefine social media, and how todays world is communicating is different to that of yesteryear.
Tying into the theme of Globalisation, the new public sphere involving the internet and other new age technologies are not available world wide and are not allowed by countries such as China. So whilst the Twittersphere or Bloggasphere has changed the way many communicate and will continue to do so, the idea of a global village, where the world feels "one big emotion" (McLuhan, 1969) is not realistic as of 2012, although we are continuing to head that way.
Reference:
Anderson, JW 1999, ‘The internet and Islam’s new interpreters’, New media in the Muslim world :the emerging public sphere 1999, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp. 41-56
McLuhan, M 1969, Extract from the ‘Interview
with Eric Norden’, Playboy,
March, pp. 53–62, 64–6, 68, 70, 72, 74, 158.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Twittersphere
hi there. This is an informative post. You gave very clear information about Twittershpere and you related it with network society in Globalization era. I think you did this post so well since you put a brief introduction about the shifting of technology in society, and at the end of this post, you related it with Globalisation. Nice!
ReplyDeleteHey Jake, I found this an interesting look at how globalisation and changes in technology have led to the twittersphere and found that the image you've used really compliments your blog post. I would check your references though because you haven't referenced the dictionary, just written the website.
ReplyDeleteHi Jake, I really like the writing style of this blog, it is very informal but with great insight and examples. The way that you have tied together the global village and twitter is great, as well as how methods for communication are changing (but is it for the better?). I think we are still a global village, but now we just have a different way of interacting with one another, so in a way, McLuhan is still on track with his theory. Revelent pic too!
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