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It will feed you posts based on what you yourself post, and you can like or comment on them if you wish, follow anyone whose work interests you, and forward them to others. These are all ways that Instagram 's algorithms will then send you other posts tailored to your interests. You can respond to what they post, and they can respond to what you post; you can follow them, they can follow you. In other words, Instagram can connect you with others who share your interests. |
Twitter A social networking service where you can post tweets and share links, photos, GIFs, and videos, Twitter is a site for following news and ideas-and for connecting with others who follow the same things. Unlike Facebook and Instagram , it limits what you write to 280 characters. In fact, the average tweet is around 28 characters-a challenge, but one that can really help you focus what you say, literally making every word count. |
You can follow topics that interest you- The Iliad , the Supreme Court, women's soccer, whatever. Say you're a fan of Ohio State football; doing a search for #ohiostatefootball will lead you to tweets on that topic-and a number of different perspectives on it as well. And if you yourself tweet about the team-and tag your tweets #ohiostatefootball-they will pop up whenever someone else does a search for Ohio State football or clicks on #ohiostatefootball. |
That's how Twitter lets you find conversations on topics you want to learn about, add your own opinions, and build an audience for what you have to say. And once you specify what you're interested in, Twitter will suggest other accounts you might want to follow. As with all social media, Twitter can be misused to spread misinformation, or worse. Be careful about retweeting unless you can verify that the information is truthful. Brevity is the soul of wit. |
-WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter are all places where you can find many different perspectives-and where you can seek ideas different from your own. As such, they're places where you need to practice RHETORICAL LISTENING , working to understand and really engage with people whose lives and viewpoints are not the same as yours. |
But because these are also sites where you can actually choose those you interact with, there's also a real danger of building an information silo-that is, following and attracting only like-minded people, whose ideas and opinions are similar to yours. Be careful not to do that. You are what you share. -CHARLES LEADBEATER At their best, social media can help people connect across time and space like never before. |
As this book goes to press, we're all working at home in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, and we're using Zoom , and other social platforms to attend meetings, classes, and even happy hours. But as you know, social media sites are not always at their best, and all too often they have been used not to connect but to divide, to confuse, to deceive-and to spread misinformation or lies. |
As an ethical user of social media, your job is to make sure that anything you post or share is honest, based on verifiable information, and offered in the best interests of your audience. Writing effectively and ethically on social media Think carefully about the AUDIENCE who will see what you write-and whom you want to reach. Tag (#) KEYWORDS to share a post with people who are likely to be interested (#kingjames, #washyourhands); and @mention people you want to see your post (@epeters, @scolbert). |
Speak directly to your audience, using a friendly, conversational tone. Consider your PURPOSE . What do you want to happen as a result of what you write? Are you voicing an opinion? What's the larger CONTEXT ? Are you writing for an assignment? If you're responding to a conversation that's already begun, what's being said about the topic? Make sure that any sources you link to or forward are reliable and that any information you share is accurate. Credit anything that you did not create yourself. |
On Facebook , clicking the Share button gives credit and makes a link. On Instagram , use an @ tag to credit the creator (@sdunn). On Twitter , give an HT, short for hat tip (HT@sdunn). It's usually best to keep posts short and to the point. Link to any longer text you wish to include. What TONE do you want to convey? Think about how you want to come across: serious? playful? frustrated? something else? You can probably be pretty casual if you're sure your readers are friends. |
But if you're writing about a serious topic, you'll want to establish a serious tone. Remember to add CAPTIONS to any images. And if you haven't created the image yourself, be sure to credit whoever did. If you want readers to engage with what you post, try to be direct: ask a question, or issue an explicit call for action. Don't forget that you're interacting with real people. Don't say anything on social media that you wouldn't say to them in person. |
Glossary RHETORICAL LISTENING, 7-11 A way of listening that is open-minded, accepting, and respectful-of listening to what others say as a way of understanding their PERSPECTIVES and demonstrating respect for their views. AUDIENCE, 25-26 Those to whom a text is directed-the people who read, listen to, or view the text. Audience is a key part of any RHETORICAL SITUATION . KEYWORD, 83, 253, 258 A term that a researcher inputs when searching for information in databases and elsewhere on the internet. |