Celebrities and microblogging…
A match made in heaven or hell?
In a modern day era where near enough anyone with an internet access and something to say can become a blogger, it poses the important question as to whether freedom of speech is really a freedom that should be allowed.
Microblogging specifically differs in that “its content is typically smaller” in file size or sentence length, portraying information in a concise and manageable way for both the audience and the publisher to look back on. Social media sites are therefore a hub for this specific style of writing, as they welcome imperfect and sporadic outpourings of emotion that are not necessarily as polished or profound as a formal blog.
Microblogging is the largest trend to emerge in the past year, with Twitter leading the charge.
Twitters domination of the microblogging market is predominantly down to the apps original limit of 140 characters, capping users from posting thoughts or opinions in lengthy detail. Although this limit has now been expanded to allow up to 280 characters, the ease with which a tweet containing text, a GIF, an article, an image or a video can be shared into the social media sphere remains very real.
With over 330 million users it is not hard to understand why this is the perfect platform for celebrities and public figures to reach wider audiences. Role models can naturally appeal to be just like their fans when sharing intimate thoughts or updates on their daily tasks, or by promoting content and material with specific hashtags and trends.
However, following a recent scandal that stormed the news, social media and its facilitation of microblogging has raised important issues about the spread of fake news and the damage that this can have offline.
Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been permanently suspended following a review from the platform itself and a comprehensive analysis of the events and tweets that occurred around the 8th of January. The content that was released by Trump was said to potentially incite violence under the “Glorification of Violence policy” therefore leading to the removal of his account and platform.
Although personally, my experiences with microblogging were positive, it is important to understand that not every user (celebrity or not) will use their 280 characters as a force for good. Therefore it is crucial that these policies are in place and platforms such as Twitter can exercise the right to silence those offenders who are using microblogging in a negative way, before the words on a screen can have a much more catastrophic effect.
