Social media - Research Paper Example

Social Media The article, “Following you: Disciplines of listening in social media” published in Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies was written by Kate Crawford, an Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and a member of staff in the Journalism and Media Research Centre. The article was published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Publishing Group in 2009. In her article, Crawford aimed at developing the concept of listening as metaphor for being attentive online.

Therefore, in order to support her claims, she uses one tool of social media, twitter to be precise. This paper shall seek to explain the manner in which online listening offers productive ways of analyzing the various forms of online engagement which have been overlooked for a long time (Crawford 525). Crawford asserts that online listening can be considered in several contexts. These contexts can be wikis, mailing lists, MUDs, blogs, RSS feeds, among others. Additionally, she says, “listening has not been given much attention as opposed to speaking-up” (Crawford 526).

In this context, speaking up refers to writing articles or updating of status on the various types of social media. It is a fact that many people write their updates in order to catch up with their friends or inform the public of various issues. Therefore, there is need for the members of the public to read and comprehend what is being updated. This is what ‘listening’ of social media entails. There are three types of social media listeners, namely; politicians, individuals, and corporations.

All the three groups face the need to listen to others by creating a social media presence. In this case, they may create twitter accounts which may give them platforms to listen to other people and be listened to as they interact online. In order to facilitate interactions, they can use the three modes of listening namely: “background listening, delegated listening, as well as reciprocal listening.” Crawford asserts that twitter’s use as a forum for background listening comes about as a result of the flow of conversations and commentary with few moments of concentration.

From this, it is evident that Twitter’s conversations circulate in the background, just like radio. On reciprocal listening, social media I used by several politicians to update their activities, seek for support on policy announcements, among others. For instance, Gordon Brown and Barack Obama have Twitter accounts which they use to communicate to their supporters (Crawford 529). This is attributed to the fact that it gives them a platform to access millions of people at the same time. Lastly, delegated listen entails the use of the social media by the corporate sector to forge close ties with their customers, acquire information about their products, as well as enhance public their facades.

In conclusion, Crawford has managed to convince readers in her argument about the importance of listening in social media. She has successfully articulated how listening in social media opens up novel ways of comprehending the connection and nuances of communication (Crawford 533). Additionally, she has explicated why social media forums should be re-evaluated, expressed and developed through listening.Works CitedCrawford, Kate. “Following You: Disciplines of Listening in Social Media.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 23.4 (2009): 525–535.