A short keynote about Twitter as a writing space by using Marshall McLuhan's theories about the media. Presented at Blekinge Tekniska Högskola for Media & Communication II course.

1. 1

2. "It's the messaging system that we
didn't know we needed until we had
it."
- A Threadless T-shirt
2

3. Rules
3

4. Rules
• 140 characters. Only!
3

5. Rules
• 140 characters. Only!
• If you address someone, @someone
3

6. Rules
• 140 characters. Only!
• If you address someone, @someone
• If you write about a topic, #topic.
3

7. Hot or
Cold?
4

8. Hot or
Cold?
• Very limited detail or no detail.
4

9. Hot or
Cold?
• Very limited detail or no detail.
• The timeline goes linear, however, the
conversation through @ or # tags are
very non-linear.
4

10. Hot or
Cold?
• Very limited detail or no detail.
• The timeline goes linear, however, the
conversation through @ or # tags are
very non-linear.
• Build upon the user activity.
4

11. Hot or
Cold?
• Very limited detail or no detail.
• The timeline goes linear, however, the
conversation through @ or # tags are
very non-linear.
• Build upon the user activity.
• In McLuhan’s words “User creates the
content.”
4

12. Is it an extension of my
body?
5

13. Is it an extension of my
body?
• Yes. I can reflect myself...
5

14. Is it an extension of my
body?
• Yes. I can reflect myself...
• ... Wherever I go and whatever I do.
5

15. Is it an extension of my
body?
• Yes. I can reflect myself...
• ... Wherever I go and whatever I do.
• Instant.
5

16. Is it an extension of my
body?
• Yes. I can reflect myself...
• ... Wherever I go and whatever I do.
• Instant.
• It’s easy and short.
5

17. What can you produce
with... tweets?
6

18. What can you produce
with... tweets?
• Instant updates about anything.
(Companies)
6

19. What can you produce
with... tweets?
• Instant updates about anything.
(Companies)
• Micro blogging. (Persons)
6

20. What can you produce
with... tweets?
• Instant updates about anything.
(Companies)
• Micro blogging. (Persons)
• Or... You can look at the bigger picture.
6

21. That’s how Twitter
makes money!
7

22. 8

23. • Track every word written on
Twitter.
8

24. • Track every word written on
Twitter.
• They collect and visualize the
“trends”.
8

25. • Track every word written on
Twitter.
• They collect and visualize the
“trends”.
• “What are people talking about?”
8

26. “If a medium is an extension of
ourselves, then by studying the
medium, we should be able to
understand ourselves.”
- McLuhan
9

27. And we can actually, take our next
step depending on the data we
gained from there (?)
10

28. Hell Yeah!
11

29. Hell Yeah!
11

30. Hell Yeah!
• 6M Twitter followers.
11

31. Hell Yeah!
• 6M Twitter followers.
• 14M FB fans.
11

32. Hell Yeah!
• 6M Twitter followers.
• 14M FB fans.
• Instantaneous
campaign for
instantaneously
11

33. Hell Yeah!
• 6M Twitter followers.
• 14M FB fans.
• Instantaneous
campaign for
instantaneously
“Media as a drug that effects it’s users
action”
11

34. Does it change you?
12

35. Does it change you?
• Yes!
12

36. Does it change you?
• Yes!
• Imagine the response or “like” to your
tweets, updates, links, new photos etc?
12

37. Does it change you?
• Yes!
• Imagine the response or “like” to your
tweets, updates, links, new photos etc?
• Now, imagine the ones that you don’t
get the same reaction...
12

38. Does it change you?
• Yes!
• Imagine the response or “like” to your
tweets, updates, links, new photos etc?
• Now, imagine the ones that you don’t
get the same reaction...
• The next time, you change the way you
update!
12

39. Twitter
is...
13

40. Twitter
is...
• Extension of consciousness.
13

41. Twitter
is...
• Extension of consciousness.
• A “drug” that effects people’s actions!
13

42. Twitter
is...
• Extension of consciousness.
• A “drug” that effects people’s actions!
• a medium, instantly changes the
agenda.
13

43. Twitter
is...
• Extension of consciousness.
• A “drug” that effects people’s actions!
• a medium, instantly changes the
agenda.
• a medium, you can understand society
by studying it.
13

44. Twitter
is...
• Extension of consciousness.
• A “drug” that effects people’s actions!
• a medium, instantly changes the
agenda.
• a medium, you can understand society
by studying it.
• a powerful tool that you can exploit by
13

45. McLuhan is right!
14

46. McLuhan is right!
...even after 50 years.
14

47. Sarper
Erel
@zappik
a
BTH
Literature Culture & Digital Media
September 21th, 2010
15