Twitter: A Network of Extremes
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/conversation-smoosh-twitter-decay/412867/
This article, “The Decay of Twitter” by Robinson Meyer, discusses the utility of Twitter as a volatile network for both positive and negative information exchange. The public nature of Twitter allows information to be viewed by a wide range of audiences in a wide range of contexts. This allows information to spread rapidly across the network. From being a platform for the amplification of the Ferguson protests to media visibility to acting as a soapbox for all kinds of hate speech and negative expressions, Twitter’s network allows people to instantly communicate ideas for the whole world to see. The article later dives into why this might be the very reason for Twitter’s decline as a social media platform, since the character limit and visibility inherent to the site has condensed speech to short blurbs which may not accurately represent how people feel about controversial topics. This discourages users from being transparent on their accounts, eventually leading to disuse.
Several topics discussed in this course are touched upon in this article, including how information spreads across networks and positive-negative relationships among users. Our knowledge of network principles can help us understand why Twitter has recently been declining, while also helping us understand how influential Twitter has been in media and popular culture. The network itself provides an interesting case-study to support the volatility and connectedness of large networks, modeling traditional oral interactions with instantaneous, digital communication. It is still too early to understand Twitter’s full impact on our society, but the principles learned in class are helpful tools in studying what we know and predicting its future direction.