This is sort of half-research, because I'm fishing for ideas for part of my novel, but I wasn't sure if it would fit in the research forum. (Sorry if this isn't the place.)
Basically I wanted to tackle this whole idea of social media - you know, Susan Boyle, viral hits, the trending topics on Twitter and cats falling off tables getting a squillion hits on YouTube. But also this battle between the "old" media and the "new" blogosphere, all the people out to make a quick buck on the marketplace of the internet, the new buzzwords like "user-generated content" and "monetize" and "SEO", right through to things like Rage Against The Machine getting to Christmas #1 through a Facebook campaign and the Iranian protests being organised through Twitter.
So in your opinion, what are the best and worst examples of social media? Where has this internet culture made a difference? (Along the lines of, say, the 1960 presidential election where the televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy made all the difference.)
And finally - and this is where the conflict in my novel may well stem from - do you think it's all just a case of the emperor's new clothes, that lots of people have latched on to an idea which basically revolves around mindless Twitterings and asinine YouTube comments, or do you think there's something more valuable to this whole thing?
Thanks for your ideas!
Basically I wanted to tackle this whole idea of social media - you know, Susan Boyle, viral hits, the trending topics on Twitter and cats falling off tables getting a squillion hits on YouTube. But also this battle between the "old" media and the "new" blogosphere, all the people out to make a quick buck on the marketplace of the internet, the new buzzwords like "user-generated content" and "monetize" and "SEO", right through to things like Rage Against The Machine getting to Christmas #1 through a Facebook campaign and the Iranian protests being organised through Twitter.
So in your opinion, what are the best and worst examples of social media? Where has this internet culture made a difference? (Along the lines of, say, the 1960 presidential election where the televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy made all the difference.)
And finally - and this is where the conflict in my novel may well stem from - do you think it's all just a case of the emperor's new clothes, that lots of people have latched on to an idea which basically revolves around mindless Twitterings and asinine YouTube comments, or do you think there's something more valuable to this whole thing?
Thanks for your ideas!