By Jack McDaniel
When I Googled the words “Twitter” and “Iran” the other day, I received over 89 million hits. Within the News results I found stories that ran the gamut, from wild trumpet blasts of Twitter’s new-found influence, to cautious yet optimistic appraisals of Twitter’s impact, to attempted clarifications of just what Twitter means in connection with the Iranian elections.
Put me in the camp that doesn’t know what this means, but is convinced it means something big.
When television first came on the scene, producers and directors gave their on-air talent instructions that seem ridiculous to us now. Don’t move suddenly, as this may disorientate the viewer. Speak slowly and in a relative monotone so as not to startle the listener. Keep your eyes focused on the copy, don’t make eye contact with the camera, as this is an invasion of the viewer’s space. The “Thou shall not” list made for some boring programming.
But the novelty was in the new medium. Wow, electronic images from miles away, beamed directly to your 1946 RCA 621TS with a whopping 7-inch magnetically deflected CRT! Yeah, baby!
So let’s jump back in the time machine and return to Twitter. Just as we probably won’t know the true impact of this 140-character micro-blog social networking tool on the elections until the dust settles, we also won’t see its true value as a learning mechanism until someone breaks the “Thou shall not” rules in the learning arena.
At least that’s what I think. As always, I’d love to hear what YOU think.
Just don’t move suddenly, as I’m naturally disoriented as it is.
