Comments on: The Role of Twitter in the Bangkok Protests https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/ Stories, rants & observations about expat life in Asia's craziest city Thu, 17 Nov 2016 15:48:32 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 By: Manik https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-376 Fri, 21 May 2010 08:06:46 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-376 well twitter is really like river rapids. information just flows through very fast, too fast at times. anyways i used all the tweets to make this, pls have a look when u got time. http://sethisuwan.blogspot.com/2010/05/text.html

]]> By: Jon https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-375 Fri, 21 May 2010 07:42:23 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-375 Hey Greg,

Thanks for your kind words, great post btw and I totally agree that the internet has played a key and visible part in these protests. It has also become a big deal for us expats out here, quite possibly because it connects us to new people which, as non-Thais, we are also keen to do.

Speaking of which, looking forward to meeting in person when that finally happens!

Jon

]]> By: Frodo Douchebaggins https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-374 Wed, 19 May 2010 01:57:35 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-374 As Greg knows, I’ve am a fan of long-form writing and have largely mocked Twitter as an organizing tool for balloon-and-pillow flash mobs. But I have to say, I’ve used it twice now to get an immediate idea of the situation in Bangkok: two nights ago to learn about shootings in the Ramkhamhaeng area and this morning, when I learned about the operations at Lumpini. Because Twitter doesn’t have the usual guarantors of (semi-)veracity of traditional media — fact-checkers and other verification protocols, long-standing reputations to protect, libel suits to fear, etc. — I looked for independent verification (disregarding the endless retweets) and found enough to have some confidence in what I was reading. So as a total newbie, I’ll concede that Twitter was a lot more useful than I had given it credit for, and I’d rank it at about "a rumor that’s likely true" in terms of overall trustworthiness.

]]> By: mzelum https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-373 Tue, 18 May 2010 08:33:45 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-373 listened to Podcast last night…good start….I’m looking forward to more.

Thanks

]]> By: www.nationmultimedia.com/facebook https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-372 Mon, 17 May 2010 17:58:41 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-372 You can also keep in touch with the situation with http://www.nationmultimedia.com/facebook.

]]> By: steve https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-371 Mon, 17 May 2010 07:49:10 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-371 i also find the fast and furious tweets to be mainly useless. maybe twitter could introduce some personalized filters such as not showing duplicate tweet and other key words that you want to exclude.

or the other alternative is that we’ll all have to turn to a reliable source and stick with that person throughout the event. but that’s pretty limiting.

i guess it’s not perfect and probably never will be but perhaps it will turn people into more discerning news consumers and reporters. if not it will just be another bit of white noise that we learn to selectively tune out.

]]> By: Greg https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-370 Sun, 16 May 2010 03:17:39 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-370 Thanks everyone. Somchai, Nachomaans, etc, you are very right – I should also have mentioned how Twitter can be a great tool of MISinformation. When the Tweets are coming fast and furious, a lot of it can be totally useless, biased, rumormongering crap, and this is one of the great weaknesses of Twitter in that there is no filter. There have been times when I’m getting 20 or 30 tweets per minute and have simply decided to ‘unplug’ and come back in a few hours to see what the facts are. But I think we can all agree that the positives of Twitter definitely outweigh the negatives.
And, of course, Twitter is only useful as long as it works; if the government decides to shut it down, we’re in the dark. However, as we saw in Iran, that’s a pretty difficult thing to do.

]]> By: PierreV https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-369 Sun, 16 May 2010 00:50:20 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-369 Great post and well-said. Personally never used Twitter until this protest. Have found it to be a revelation in information gathering in this unpredictable conflict. Like you, I have had to rely on images on tv in a foreign tongue, or repeditive reports from the BBC/CNN. It adds a whole new dimension to providing instant, unfiltered information in an unpredictable unfolding situation like this. In a way Its like reading a continual telex feed in a war room. Only this is much, much more powerful.

Strategist will no doubt take note and internet acess will become the first casualty in an urban conflict, followed by water, electricity and food..

]]> By: njptower https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-368 Sat, 15 May 2010 22:42:08 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-368 This article has been tweeted about in my timeline a few times already reinforcing the argument that twitter is a valuable pointer to views, news and pictures and videos.

The fluid situation can be tracked through posts from respected commentators and unrespected purveyors of particular lines.

Some of the trolls are expressing hatred, joy at the distressing situation and are providing mischievious disinformation regarding the whereabouts and health of people.

Censorship and the closing of websites is circumvented by citizens’ journalism via twitter and to a far lesser degree facebook

]]> By: Thailand Travel https://www.gregtodiffer.com/the-role-of-twitter-in-the-bangkok-protests/#comment-367 Sat, 15 May 2010 20:10:15 +0000 http://gregtodiffer.dreamhosters.com/?p=148#comment-367 I agree. I just got into Twitter because of this whole crisis and I’d be soooo behind the power curve without it. I wouldn’t doubt if both sides are using Twitter for Intel purposes either.

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