New Twitter Lists, Social Influence & Torture

Twitter, the over-hyped, under-appreciated social network for sharing chit-chat and links, just launched a tool enabling users to create their own lists on the site. The Journal explains the basics:

The new feature allows Twitter users to organize the people they follow and streamline their feeds. Others can then follow their lists, sparing them the time of hunting for individual Twitterers with shared interests

So what, right?

The feature could be consequential, however, because it devolves a bit more media and social influence to users.

Previously, Twitter essentially held the market on recommending users, through its official list of suggested users. Making that list would net a user hundreds of thousands of followers -- turning the micro-site into a broadcasting portal with the reach of cable news. Landing on the list is so valuable, in fact, one state's election commission is examining whether such social media activity should be regulated. (California has several pols on the big list, with follower counts topping 900,000.)

The new lists enable people to curate and aggregate their own recommendations. Then other users can follow the entire group, or surf a list through a dedicated section of Twitter, which is accessible to people who never even signed up with the service.

For example, The Nation's Twitter account now hosts a list of Nation contributors. I just created a politics and media list of people worth checking out on Twitter. And users are already innovating ways to tap the list feature for activism and political shaming -- human rights advocate Bob Fertik launched a list tracking journalists whom he accuses of enabling torture and war crimes.

Apart from influence and recommendations, this feature also breaks digital ground for live, communal conversations. Now, a national organization could invite its members on Twitter for real-time reaction to a big event, like a presidential speech. That already happens on Twitter, but primarily through new, social networks of people -- not across the social or organizational graphs of offline groups.

Ari Melber writes for The Nation. His Twitter list for politics and media is here.

 

 

Follow Ari Melber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AriMelber

Comments

[PatA]

Post # 2 for above.

The boards on the forum are Psychology, Medication, Faith, Politics (almost closed down..because we were discussing politics) Social, Administration (where you beg him not to do things that compromises your privacy and security), Writing and more. You can see that some of those boards are going to have some very personal posting going on.
Dr. ___can simply click on our posts and part of it shows up on his "home page" and all another Twit/Facebooker has to do is follow the url and they will be directed back to our boards where they can not only read the original post but can read every post in the thread.
I hope someone sees this post and can investigate this blatant disregard for the safety, privacy and security of the members of this forum. If you can assist in this, post here and somehow we'll figure out a way to exchange email information.
Thanks.

[PatA]

I once belonged to a mental health support forum online. When a person joins the forum all of their posts are free to be used by "Doctor ___"..he is a psychiatrist at the University of Chicago.
I was emailed Sunday and told about this thread. .
When people logged in on Sunday every one of their posts had two buttons. No one was asked if they minded, no notification on the boards, nada. He just did it. NO ONE on the forums gave him permission to do this to them. He has already asked if we wanted to be "twitted" and a huge amount of people said absolutely not! Yet, he goes ahead and does it and throws in Facebook as the icing. I have an ex on Facebook and the last thing that I want him to know is anything I've ever posted about my mental health issues. But......he sure can if he finds this man's account. If he doesn't find it..someone else that we know might.....and my user name is the name of my late dog. So, half of my old town is going to know who I am.
The fallout is unbelievable. National medical boards have been notified and very important posters have left the forum this week. People are dropping out like flies.