Journal #5 - Try Twitter

For me, Twitter is losing its luster.  Today’s young people are more interested in Snapchat and Instagram.  I have maintained a Twitter account off-and-on for years, but mostly using it as a marketing tool to support my social media marketing optimization efforts, and never actually checked it for myself on a regular basis.

With the current political climate I am disappointed in my Twitter feed.  I chose to follow people based on influence and technology; people such as Bill Gates, and organizations such as Google Developers.  Yet, there is so much controversy over the current political debate that the newsfeed is bombarded with Trump/Clinton bashing.

At the current moment I would likely discourage my students (if I had any) from using social media, especially Twitter.  Rather, I’d encourage them to use other social media platforms that are not so inundated with political drama.  In the current Twitter climate I’d worry that my students would become angry and jaded by the loudest and most dramatic protester.

I’d like to see what happens to Twitter once the political race comes to an end.  Until then, I do not consider Twitter to be a good resource for impressionable students. 

Q & A

Q1: Do you encourage students to engage in political commentary via Twitter?
A1: This, of course, is a personal decision and may not be the same for everyone.  For me, I'd shy away from using Twitter.

Q2: Considering the recent layoffs will Twitter be an informational resource in the near future?
A1: I feel Twitter has a lot of competition in the marketplace and society is moving on to the next big thing, whatever that might be. Twitter stocks have consistently decreased since the company went public in 2013, and with the recent layoffs I would fear that Twitter may become the next MySpace...outdated.

Resources

Duggan, M., & Smith, A. (2016, October 25). The Political Environment on Social Media. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/10/25/the-political-environment-on-social-media/

Fiegerman, S. (2016, October 27). Twitter cuts 9% of staff and kills off Vine app. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/27/technology/twitter-layoffs-earnings/