Journalists have a go at Twitter! How’s that for a headline?

Journalists see themselves as cutting out the wittering. Where does that leave the rest of us? I cant remember when I last saw a journalist writing poetry. Their haikus seem, even in war-time, .to consist of “Gotcha!”

Anything popular is often seen as unworthy. Do I smell a rat, or is it the smell of fear that someone else other than the ‘highly trained’ wordsmiths might actually produce something worth reading. Having a go at the ‘proles’ who use Twitter seems to me rather like criticising the electorate for choosing the ‘wrong party’, fearful that there is a chance of democracy actually working. A 90% turnout would not be much of a story.

Graffiti artists were once seen as grubby nuisances but Banksy seems to have elevated it to ‘worthy art’. The same goes for expressing yourself in words. Everyone has to start somewhere. Those who call Twitter wittering must be reading the wrong tweets. Don’t these journalists see they have to apply some judgement?

Everyone is entitled to report on their own lives or voice their opinions. Look out journalists, Here Comes Everybody ! Get a life, have the wit to twit!.

Sian

For a Book Review of Here Comes Everybody ! see earlier Blog.

Citizen Professionals

Ever since I read and reviewed Here Comes Everybody: How Change Happens when People Come Together by Clay Sharky ( see book review in old blogs) I have been looking at events from a new viewpoint. Things usually change because the Government wants the change to go that way but it is not always clear who is prompting the moves for change. Interested parties, expediency, ignorance and intolerance can all underlie a move for change and government by the people becomes government by some of the people for all. Naturally the mechanics of doing it otherwise can become very complicated , but the power and creativity of the inter-net contains the seeds of alternative ways of doing things.

At one end of the spectrum are the events in China and Iran which show that the techno generations can be a bewildering force for the geriatric leaderships to grasp. Blaming foreign governments will not be an excuse which will protect them from a growing anger which sadly can end up with the oppression of a Burma of North Korea, but might just lead to disintegration. It might take fifty years or more but it will come, perhaps sooner as the internet expands and causes a more creative global politics than I can imagine. Like all forces it can go for the good or bad options, but with global survival an increasing issue, lets hope that self-preservation of the species will become a unifying force.

This leads to two small conclusions. With increasing youth unemployment, what does the internet offer. Although some may have reservations as to the standards of Blairite higher education, we are likely to have one of the best qualified unemployed group of young people we have ever seen. My advice is to take your chosen specialism further by going on-line. For writers finding that their are no jobs in journalism, put thought to key board and get started, possibly with others, to make your voice known. For lawyers with no training contract, or job, do the same. Being a participating citizen today needs some kind of legal qualification just to get some sense out of a dilatory local authority or an oppressive wheel clamping gang. Don’t get me started on garages and other so called services industries. More and more advice could be provided though self help groups who not only help but develop their expertise. I have no clear ideas how these could be developed for medics, scientists of various types, let alone accountants, but with so many young people being denied the chance to apply their chosen discipline, its up to them to get together and take up the challenge the internet provides.

The second conclusion thought is that the older generation of politicians in this country don’t seem to appreciate the power of the internet which is waiting to cause their fall. When Gerry Springer appeared on UK TV recently he pointed out that the older generation are disconnected from the techno-generation and that the new politics is gathering speed while the old politicians don’t get it. I would add that they are too busy out shopping for new feathers to line their nests with, rather than log on to these new ‘internet highway thingys’, as some might try to put it. So Happy 20th Anniversary World Wide Web thingy, they aint’t seen nothing yet!

Dacier