Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Twitter

On page 137 Professor Levinson states "in that function, Twitter becomes a type of wire service, like AP or Reuters. 'Followers' receive these messages but do not usually reply." I thought it was interesting that he said followers do not usually reply and I do think this is true but I believe the ability to reply is an amazing aspect of Twitter. It gives a voice to the consumer/viewer and creates a positive democratic web atmosphere.

An example of a follower replying to a company that came to mind while reading this section had nothing to do with a news article being sent out but a reaction to a mass marketing campaign. The campaign wasn't even through twitter but twitter was the only real way consumers and those upset with the campaign could reach out to the company. About a year and a half ago Motrin ran a campaign that incorporated the differences between moms who carry their children as opposed to use strollers. There was a huge outcry and the group who was offended quickly took to their twitters. The ads were removed by the end of the day showing that twitter in a inter-personal (people directly reaching out to Motrin) and a mass communication (others simply ranting about Motrin) has an overwhelming power.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent point, Marisa, and I think BJ Emerson's presentation really demonstrated the usefulness of being able to respond.

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