Simultaneously, Twitter is used to showcase a celebrity’s disregard of social norms and update tense situations in war-torn countries. At the same time, reputations are created and destroyed. Although the same can be said of other social media platforms, Twitter has withstood the test of time not only because of its popularity but also because of the richness of its communication.
As an example, we can take a look at this recent Trump tweet where he retweeted a controversial image detailing some crime statistics:
"@SeanSean252: @WayneDupreeShow @Rockprincess818 @CheriJacobus https://t.co/5GUwhhtvyN"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2015
So, what does this have to do with Twitter?
As soon as that tweet it hit Twitter the general public reacted. Articles around the web dedicated to fact-checking it popped up everywhere (like this one, published two days afterwards). It was also retweeted over 8,000 times. The next day Donald Trump took to twitter to defend himself. Does this feedback come as quickly as with face-to-face communication? Of course not. But it’s the next best thing to communicate with a large group of people.
Richard Daft and Robert Lengel proposed in 1983 that face-to-face communication is the richest form of communication. There are several reasons for this but the most important thing to consider at the moment is that it allows immediate feedback, which can potentially clear out misunderstandings.
Not that feedback is the only thing worth considering. By facilitating sharing, one message can reach tons of people who would otherwise not be interested. Not that this is inherently a good thing.
BREAKING: Man who killed #CecilTheLion reportedly spent $55,000 to shoot & kill the much-loved lion with bow & arrow. http://t.co/sIuwtYu4MJ
— PETA (@peta) July 28, 2015
Would PETA be attacking this dentist if it weren’t for Twitter? Unlikely. Cecil’s story trended on social media out of nowhere and the dentist’s career was shaken, to say the least. As a politician running for office, this is specially important to grasp. As Hilary Milnes put it:
“What you share on Twitter and other forms of social media sticks with you. It can outlive you, even, and, most importantly, once deleted, it’s never fully erased.” (The Anatomy of a Twitter Lynch Mob)
Candidates best be weary about what they share. As we have seen, it can either make or break your campaign.