Social Media and the TED Talks

I really enjoyed Clay Shirky's TED talk on social media, not only because I've been a fan of the TED talks for quite some time, but also because he really proved something that I've been spouting about myself.

To people who aren't familiar with the internet, (in that they only use it for basic functions, socializing with friends, e-mail, work, etc.) YouTube, Twitter, and many other social media are stereotypically thought of as the realms of fame-hungry desperate people making stupid videos for no reason other than to get a million hits. But for those of us who use the internet as a way to enrich our lives, we know the internet is just like any other form of media. Just as with television, radio, and writing, there is a huge amount of waste and filler (crap) and we all have to sift through it to find the things that are actually really good. There are shows like Rock of Love, and then there are shows like Breaking Bad. The internet and social media are the same. There are the YouTube videos of kids trying to drink a gallon of milk without getting sick, and then there are the YouTube videos, such as this one that allow people to view really cool and interesting things that they normally would never see. Personally, I really like to use YouTube as my own personal MTV. Since it's nearly impossible to find music on music television channels, I, like many others, have taken to the web for music videos. I am able to find really creative, cool videos for little-known bands, add them to a playlist, and, since my computer is connected to my television, watch them on my TV. I've made my own MTV and it's way more awesome than the real thing. (Check out one of my favorites, Michigan natives Awesome Color--you won't see this video on any music channel--except mine!). And of course, as Clay Shirky demonstrated, the potential for real social and historical change lies in these social media formats. I remember myself when the internet blew up with coverage and words from people in Iran protesting the elections. The story that hit me the hardest was that of Neda Agha Soltan, a 27-year-old student whose death was caught on video and then transmitted in every format possible, including YouTube. While I couldn't bring myself to watch the actual video, her story was one that I took to heart and repeated to as many people as possible.

It is really easy to forget how small the internet has made the world. Two years ago I studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan. I was able to use Skype to talk to my family back in the US for pennies. While I was in Tokyo, I posted photos daily of my adventures on Facebook, and my friends and family could see them in minutes. Today, I can talk to any of the friends that I made while in Tokyo, people who are scattered all over the world, in moments. These are all incredible things that were pretty unbelievable twenty years ago. As history continues, I feel that we will only see the world shrink more and more; I mean, YouTube has only been around for four years! Think about that! What will be around in four more? Ten more? Being a sci-fi fan, I'm still holding out for contact lenses that allow me to surf the web...but I'd settle for flying cars first!

On another note, I have been a fan of the TED talks for quite some time, and the TED talks themselves are an amazing example of the potential of the internet. I was turned on to them after one of the many blogs I read linked this talk by V.S. Ramachandran, (he talks about neuroscience, specifically synesthesia, which is incredibly cool) and I highly recommend it. Another fantastic site that I frequent is Vimeo which is a little more high-brow than YouTube. Vimeo sets itself apart by only allowing videos that are user-created, and it caters to a lot of artists, both visual and auditory.

gtet

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/22/neda-becomes-symbol-of-re_n_218804.html