The Twitter Phenomenon: Social Communication in the Twitter Age - Assignment Example

Visual Communication: Twitter Phenomenon Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Twitter Phenomenon 3 The Concept Origins of Twitter 5 Twitter Influence on Communication 5 References 10 Visual communication is the conveyance of information, ideas and thoughts by use of forms that can be seen (McQuiston, 2004). It entails use of pictures, drawings, animations and signs to express the message that being communicated. Key to the visual communication is the application of color schemes to pass different information or to signify certain information. For many years, visual communication was associated with fine art, the artistic preference was used as the attracting point through which message was passed (Thomas, 2008). However, today visual communication is a daily lifestyle. Advertisements, clothing and many daily aspects are marked by visuals that depict different messages. The following paper explores the visual communication (Thomas, 2008). The paper discusses the twitter phenomenon by application of different visual themes to appease the reader. Source: Dijck, 2013 In the recent past, communication has been changed by the emergence of social media (Dijck, 2013). The social media such as Twitter have fueled the desire of human being to communicate in a precise and short manner. Twitter is a new phenomenon where people meet, share ideas by following the issues they presume to be of interest to them. Twitter transcends the physical boundaries and dwells in the virtual world of online where there are no boundaries. Twitter is a phenomenon example of social media communication. It enjoys over 200 million subscribers across the globe. It is estimated that over 140 million tweets are sent every day and about 460,000 twitter accounts are normally opened on daily basis (Twitter, 2013). Twitter is designed on a platform of using only 140 characters to pass messages through a networking platform (Twitter, 2013). The messages communicated are called tweets. The story of twitter dates back in 2006, four brains are behind the phenomenon. They include Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. Since the launch in 2006, Twitter has gained great popularity. Currently, Twitter boasts of 500 million subscribers across the globe. 284 users are active. Back in 2013, twitter, was among the top visited websites (Holton, Kang & Yaschur, 2014). After the launch in 2006, 2007 witnessed 400,000-posted in each quarter. The growth increased to 100 million tweets posted in 2008. Since then the growth was phenomenal, in 2010, Twitter gained great recognition, and twitter subscribers were sending over 50 million tweets every day. The usage of twitter since then has grown. Twitter is regarded as an excellent social media communication platform. Source: Twitter, 2013 The Concept Origins of Twitter Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter had an interest in instant messaging. The desire for the instant messaging formed the concept of today’s Twitter. The dispatch aspect and the ability to see the status of the friends motivated the need to develop a internet messaging platform that a subscriber could put a profile, a photo and post a short message of at most 140 characters. Friends following the profile could share the message and hence, a single message could be shared among many people (Twitter, 2013). Twitter Influence on Communication Source: Dijck, 2013 Twitter has shaped the process of communication today. Twitter has brought a new culture in news consumption, job searching and the way information is shared. As the effect of globalization continues to expand, Twitter has brought a new face to the communication culture where instant sharing of information is practiced. According to Holton, Kang and Yaschur (2014) twitter provides real time communication. For instance, twitter provides passage of quick messages during prominent events and disasters hence bringing the perspective of being at the scene. It is credited as an agency of increased transparency in which individuals are at liberty to break information. As a result, Twitter has enhanced an open society in which global ideas are shared in the virtual world (Dijck, 2013). In presenting my report, the design rational was influenced by different factors. Key to the visual presentation was the usage of shape, space, typography and color. The integration of the different factors was done in a manner to ensure that the thematic essence that relates to twitter was maintained. For instance, blue color was predominantly used to emphasize on the twitter colors. According to McQuiston (2004), visual communication includes elements such as texture, motion and distortion of schemes. The effect of the elements is exhibited by use of different color shades and schemes. However, in my, presentation, I chose to maintain simple elements. The reason for declining to use the motion was to make the report simple just as twitter messages are simple. In order to enhance consistency in the paper, and remain simple and clear in line with the twitter phenomenon, I chose a typography that ensured readability of the content. According to Ambrose and Harris (2006), topography involves the technique of arranging elements to ensure that the content is attractive and readable. Since the olden days to the modern technological world, signs have been used to pass meanings. By use of clear writing, information can be conveyed to different generations. According to Thomas (2008) human being have in many occasions used letters and numbers to communicate. Even though, visual communication has been oriented to use of symbols, the use of letters and numbers plays a very significant role in the communication. In the report, the key typography observed was the use of letters, symbols and integrating them into a suitable size that resulted in a font that is easily readable to the target audience. The key constituents of topography include the length, the spacing used, typefaces and other artful arrangements that ensure that the reader is glued to the information being passed (Ambrose & Harris, 2006). The Twitter phenomenon limits the characters to 140; hence, making it easy for readers to understand the information that is being passed. Source: Twitter: 2013 In my report, the topography entailed selection of line lengths, typefaces, letter spacing and colour mix to ensure that the characters used were in line with clarity. The main idea of the founder of Twitter was to ensure that there was instant messaging that was fast and easily understood hence the limiting of the characters to 140. The 140 characters have remained to be the main the core point of the instant measuring. Fonts are integral in visual communication. Ambrose and Harris (2008) noted that fonts are not part of visual symbols but they are tools that aid in visual communication. Therefore, use of fonts is key in the delivery of the information. In endeavor to maintain the brief that relate to the clarity, I applied a font that ensured that the reader was engaged throughout the reading process. The combination of good fond size, colour schemes and pictograms ensured that visual interaction was enhanced. Colors play an integral role in the visual communication. The main aim of using colors in the visual communication is to enhance the message that is to be communicated. According to McQuiston (2004), colour schemes have different meanings. Hence, their application in the religious, political and cultural affiliations. McQiston added that understanding of colour strengthens its application in the visuals. In my report, I applied different colours as the key to enhancing my visuals. Blue dominated the colours. According to McQuiston (2004), colours increase alertness and attract attention. The dominance of blue colour graphics in the report is an inspiration of Twitter home page. The blue colour and the picture of a bird is very appealing and makes the readers engaged. Blue color depicts a serene environment that is favorable for all. The blue colour contrasted with white in the Twitter homepage exemplifies the clarity. However, in order to break the monotone of the twitter and give the report a new look, I used other colors though sparingly. The colours broke the monotony and served as the essence of engaging the reader. Key to the colour variations was in the was in the table of the contents, colour schemes were used to denote the different points to be discussed throughout the paper in relation to the twitter phenomenon. My report on Twitter phenomenon, explored the different aspects of Twitter. The aspects included the history, its social implication and influences on the modern life. In the report, I made use of different t visual communication tools to aid in the delivery of the message. I believe that the process of developing the report has enhanced my visual communication skills. I have developed the capability to make use of colours, fonts and pictograms to convey information that is easily understood by the reader. References Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. (2006). The Fundamentals of Typography. Lausanne: AVA Publishing. Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Holton, E.; Kang, M. & Yaschur, C. (2014). Seeking and Sharing Motivations for Linking on Twitter. Communication Research Reports 31 (1): 33–40. McQuiston, L. (2004). Graphic Agitation 2. London: Phaidon. Thomas, P. E. (2008). Exploring the Elements of Design (2nd Edition ed.). New York, USA: Thomson Delmar Learning Twitter. (2013). Social communication in the Twitter age. Choice Reviews Online, 50(10), 50-5424-50-5424. Read More