Soviet Christmas Card, Copyright © 2000-2007 by Boris A. Glazer
The original theme for this Advent Calendar post was a whimsical look at how the Christmas story would have played out these days of social networking. Of course, you could argue that the gospels already provide, through Matthew and Luke, different points of access. However, for this post’s purposes, the critical issue is that they were written after the event, after reflection and involving a certain amount of editorial control: each gospel by named one individual in a linear narrative.
The first major world event I can remember in “real-time” is seeing the cruise missiles over Baghdad, in the First Gulf War. It was shocking, to see this footage apparently unfiltered as the commentator struggled to find words. No-one knew what was going to happen. You felt you were seeing what the pilots were seeing. It was almost obscene. But it was a single source of information, one-to-many.
When the Twin Towers were destroyed as well as television coverage, photographs of the towers on Ananova were updated every few minutes. Press refresh… I was also in a chat room, speaking to friends in New York, stuck in their offices, wondering how to get home or if they were in danger. The world suddenly seemed a lot smaller. You could hear real people talking about real events.
The documentary 102 Minutes That Changed America used footage from mobile phones, and news coverage to create a collage of experiences, authoritative and democratic and powerful.
Video of 102 Minutes That Changed America, on YouTube.
Now, after the Tsunami and the New Orleans Floods, we expect to be able to see first hand footage, to judge for ourselves what is really happening.
“look at me looking at this”
In a recent BBC article, Social media challenges social rules, Bill Thompson, an independent journalist discusses the twitpic/tweeting nature of modern journalism, the rush for immediacy and the need for social media ethics. He cites the case of a soldier taking and distributing pictures of her colleagues killed in Fort Hood, and how this portrayed an inaccurate picture, distributed to millions of people. So much opinion and comment is now available.
It was also his description of conference attendees tweeting, and microblogging that resonated. When is this social engagement, and when is this disrespect for the lecturer or speaker? And how much does this need for immediacy preclude later intelligent comment and debate. On the other hand, the pool of experience feeding into an event is increased, if you are lucky to have skilled and knowledgeable commentators present.
JISC 08 Conference
Now, the filtering process, the editorial process, lies with the user, and given Google’s personalised search, the user by their past behaviour is now influencing their own information sources, their reading. Somehow that seems less exciting, less honest.
Social media use in education raise issues of distraction – Study find link between Facebook use, lower grade in college – and also responsibility. JISC Legal has advice on Web 2.0 and the implications for HEIs. Students will need support to make best use of the social media available to them. Netskills have launched some online tutorials and guides on microblogging, rss, podcasting, social media and collaborative writing that can be downloaded and adapted.
But back to the events of Christmas Day…if social networking tools had existed round about 2009 years ago, Joseph might have been advised to use TripAdvisor to find a decent inn, check availability, but given that even the Internet could create more accommodation at holiday time, the baby Jesus may still have be born in a stable.
The Virgin Mary and the Child, by Albrecht Dürer (1512)
The Three Wise Men could blog their journey, as many modern travellers and pilgrims do. Travel reports of earthquakes, floods, plagues and Roman Legions on the bypass would be delivered promptly to their Blackberries.
One could speculate on the Twitpics sent by the innkeeper from his phone, the Amazon wishlist (“get what you really want”) to ensure only one set of gold, frankincense and myrrh are gifted, and later a Facebook group for the new disciples of this new Messiah. Look at RATM. On a serious note, social media are currently being used as tools in both sides of a conflict in the Middle East.
