Information technology impacts social and communication norms

Throughout the history of information technology innovation, we see examples of how this evolution has impacted the social and behavior of the day.

A story in yesterday’s Washington Post illustrates how new technology continues to influence the structure of mass media and how information is communicated locally and globally.

The first news report of the Discovery Chanel hostage situation was not released by a TV station, radio station, or newspaper. Employees in the building used Twitter to let the outside world know what was transpiring through “tweets” and photos. Only then did other news agencies hear of the story and go to the scene to report.

This notion of citizen journalism, or any person being able to be a reporter by simply owning an iPhone or Blackberry device, is a transformation in how we receive news. It inspires debate about whether it is in the best interest of the public to have instant access to any news event, or if it’s better that the authorities or government have control over what information is available.

The use of Twitter as a social transformation tool has not proven to be unequivocally effective. The Twitter revolution in Iran failed. In class discussions, we learned that the Iranian government, also being tech savvy, was able to monitor the use of Twitter and identify the leaders of the political movement and quash the movement’s momentum.

This raises the historical issue of government control and regulation of emerging communication technologies.

Twitter, like radio in the early 1920s, started as a hobby and also another tool for social networking. In the early stages of radio, amateurs, or “hams" as they were known, dominated the airwave frequencies. Eventually the frequencies became overcrowded and it was difficult for the government and military to communicate effectively. According to Hanson, the Navy heavily advocated for government regulation of wireless technology. The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 finally motivated the government to take action. This eventually led to the Radio Act of 1927 in which government took control of radio frequencies requiring licensing for any station that wished to broadcast.

The argument over what is the government’s role in regulating information technology is as big now as it was then. Twitter, and other Internet tools such as Wikileaks, affects the power of the government to control sensitive information. The Internet is a mass medium for the exchange of knowledge, current events and a forum for public debate.

This issue also relates to another discussed in class: what is the effect of social and political factors on communication technology? Did Twitter exist and therefore change the social norms for communication and news gathering? Or did the social need for alternative news sources prompt the Twitter innovation?

Either way you look at this debate, Twitter’s impact on social and communication norms cannot be denied.

Washington Post story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/01/AR2010090105987.html