Social networking

[BrainWalker]

So today, thanks to Today's Big Thing, I have discovered that Weird Al is on YouTube. And on his page, there is this fantastic Jim Morrison-inspired anthem to Craigslist. How did I not know Weird Al had a YouTube profile?

It seems like the longer I live and the more time I spend on the internet, I come closer and closer to being forced to admit that social networking through sites like YouTube and Facebook and maybe, maybe even Twitter is not necessarily entirely fucking pointless. Friends, what say you on the matter?

[pd Rydia]

These sorts of sites have been important enough to be censored.

"By using YouTube, Iranian citizens are having their voices heard, their faces seen and their story gets told around the world without filtering. The real story of this election is being told by the citizen."

Mr Rubin said that, while it has had no official confirmation, it does appear that YouTube is being blocked by the Iranian government. Traffic is down by 90%.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8104318.stm

[Idran1701]

Also, regarding Twitter:

On April 10, 2008, James Buck, a graduate journalism student at University of California, Berkeley, and his translator, Mohammed Maree, were arrested in Egypt for photographing an anti-government protest. On his way to the police station Buck used his mobile phone to send the message “Arrested” to his 48 "followers" on Twitter. Those followers contacted U.C. Berkeley, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and a number of press organizations on his behalf. Buck was able to send updates about his condition to his "followers" while being detained. He was released the next day from the Mahalla jail after the college hired a lawyer for him.(CNN)

Research reported in New Scientist in May 2008 found that blogs, maps, photo sites and instant messaging systems like Twitter did a better job of getting information out during emergencies, such as the shootings at Virginia Tech, than either the traditional news media or government emergency services. The study, performed by researchers at the University of Colorado, also found that those using Twitter during the fires in California in October 2007 kept their followers (who were often friends and neighbors) informed of their whereabouts and of the location of various fires minute by minute. Organizations that support relief efforts are also using Twitter. The American Red Cross uses Twitter to exchange minute-to-minute information about local disasters, including statistics and directions. (The Daily Telegraph)
...
During the 2008 Mumbai attacks, eyewitnesses sent an estimated 80 tweets every five seconds as the tragedy unfolded. Twitter users on the ground helped in compiling a list of the dead and injured. In addition, users sent out vital information such as emergency phone numbers and the location of hospitals that needed blood donations. (CNN)
...
On 7 April 2009, thousands of young anti-communist protesters stormed the presidency and the parliament building in Chişinău, the capital of Moldova, accusing the government of electoral fraud. Information about these events was disseminated widely and on a minute to minute basis through Twitter. To make the information easier to find, the hashtag #pman was used (Piaţa Marii Adunări Naţionale is the name of the central square in Chişinău). (NYT)

Plus, the impact of Twitter during the current Iranian election crisis is undeniable, as it's literally one of the only forms of mass media that the Iranian government hasn't managed to shut down entirely (largely because of numerous people outside Iran setting up fake Twitter accounts to mislead the Iranian government and keep them from being able to track down and arrest those responsible), and close to the only nationwide means of the protesters to be able to gather and organize themselves. It's a means of communicating with large numbers of people easily and efficiently, in a way that can't easily be shut down - the impact of such a communication means, especially in dictatorial or repressive governments, is impossible to ignore.

Really, at this point, I have to say that being anti-social networking as a general concept (as opposed to just not personally participating) is nothing more than being mired in the mud culturally. It's no offense to you, BW, since I can imagine you haven't looked into it that much, but you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater when you say the entire concept as a whole is pointless. Even grudgingly accepting it I'd say is too stodgy with how much good it's done.

[Christian]

The internet is for porn. Period.

[pd Rydia]

Which is not to suggest that Youtube isn't important in the mainland U.S.:

-- http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/world/international-affairs/fbi-investigate-youtube-police-beating-video--$457363.htm
-- http://www.kxmc.com/News/315063.asp
-- http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12636887

[BrainWalker]

Man, it's nice to be able to leave a thread for a week and know that it won't be buried on page 87, long forgotten by the forum.

I suppose I already knew most of this, at least conceptually. Being on the Internet, sometimes it is difficult to not be cynical about mankind's capacity for civilization. These sites are basically tools, and like any other tool, they can be used for good or for stupid. I guess sometimes I just need a reminder that some people are capable of using these tools to build things rather than using them to bludgeon each other, or themselves.

[Christian]

I'm always amazed by it, but I just don't find it in my time to do more than to check a news-site once a day or so. I guess I'm more preoccupied with myself at the moment, and the only kind of socializing I do is this forum, IMing and a couple of interest-related blogs.

'course, I discarded twitter and all that as BS, but I've been proven wrong so many times I just say I'm too old-fashioned and frightened to use them.